A Lord Provost who blew over £8,000 of public money on clothes and beauty products has pulled out of a meeting today on the eradication of poverty.
Glasgow’s Eva Bolander, whose taxpayer-funded spending spree sparked an angry backlash, has now been urged to donate the items she claimed to a local charity.
Audrey Dempsey, founder of Glasgow’s No 1 Baby and Family Support Service, which helps people in need by providing clothes and household items, said: “If she was to donate the clothes, it would be very much appreciated. She would earn a bit of respect if she did that.”
SNP councillor Bolander and other civic figures can draw on a £5,000 annual allowance to help fulfill their duties, but she alone spent over £8,000 in two years.
As revealed by the Daily Record, she claimed £1,150 for 23 pairs of shoes, £665 for five coats, around £374 for six jackets and nearly £415 for eight pairs of trousers.
She also charged the public £992 for 14 dresses, £435 for seven blazers, over £300 for spectacles, as well as claiming for 20 nail treatments and ten haircuts.
Bolander apologised and promised to repay some of the money - a decision welcomed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The Lord Provost has been light on public engagements since the row broke, but she was scheduled to speak at an anti-poverty event in the city chambers today. A council source said Bolander will no longer attend the event.
Dempsey said of Bolander’s expenses claims: “It was a kick in the teeth for people in this city who are suffering. We are on the frontline and witness high levels of poverty on a daily basis. Some people cannot even afford charity shop prices for clothes.”
Martin McElroy, the Glasgow Labour councillor who helped uncover the claims, said:
“It is a sad day when the Lord Provost is too embarrassed to attend an anti-poverty event. It is further evidence for why she should resign.”
A council spokesman said: “The Lord Provost has already said she will make a repayment and is discussing with Financial Services how that will be managed."
