Glasgow’s Lord Provost has resigned following a backlash after it emerged she claimed £8,000 in expenses for clothes, shoes and beauty treatments.
Eva Bolander faced calls to step down earlier this month after the Daily Record revealed she had claimed thousands in taxpayer-funded expenses on shopping that included £1,150 on 23 pairs of shoes.
The SNP councillor also claimed for money spent on her appearance, including £751 for 10 haircuts, £479 for 20 nail treatments and £66 on make-up
Ms Bolander said she “apologised unreservedly” to residents and to her colleagues as she stepped down at a full meeting of Glasgow City Council on Thursday.
READ MORE: Glasgow's Lord Provost steps down over expenses row
She said: “This past two-and-a-half years have been among the proudest of my life.
“It has always been recognised that the role as Lord Provost carries an additional cost as it takes place almost entirely in the public eye.
“It is for this reason the civic allowance set by the Scottish Government is in place, it ensures that the rule of first citizen is open to any elected member in the chamber and especially anyone who hasn’t got the resources to do so.
“My spending incurred was within the rules and guidance, however on reflection there are items that I should have chosen to not reclaim, and for that I apologise unreservedly to my colleagues across the chamber and especially to the people of Glasgow.
“I’m grateful for having been given the opportunity to represent Glasgow and all its communities and people, but it is with the city’s best interests at heart that I am resigning with effect from after this statement.
“Glasgow is a fantastic city, it is a city emerging on a global scale, and I’m proud to have played a small part of that.
“I will continue to represent my constituents and to work for the best for them and to work for the best for Glasgow and to work for the best for Scotland.”
Earlier this month, Ms Bolander apologised and said she would repay the money for some items, but did not specify which.
The expenses date from May 2017 to August 2019, and included receipts for make-up, pedicures, six jackets and five coats.
Deputy Lord Provost Philip Braat will take over until Ms Bolander’s replacement is elected.
READ MORE: Glasgow's Lord Provost claims £8,000 on clothing and beauty treatments
Speaking at the council meeting, he said: “We thank Councillor Bolander for her work and her service over the past two-and-a-half years.
“I have seen at first-hand that the role of Lord Provost is not always an easy one, but Councillor Bolander has served the city well while in post.
“Also as her colleague I have seen at first-hand the work that Councillor Bolander has done in serving her constituents in the Anderston/City/Yorkhill ward.
“I know that she will continue to deliver for the constituents.”
The civic allowance for Glasgow City Council is subject to a yearly maximum of £5,000.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel