Johnstone Renfrewshire Scotland

Councillor MSPs face double job dilemma

TWENTY-TWO of Scotland’s newly elected MSPs face the choice of having to give up their council seats, salaries and responsibilities or face accusations of “double-jobbing” at a time when public workers are facing pay freezes.

Two parliamentarians who have come from local government have already said what they intend to do, which could force the others to follow suit.

Derek MacKay, leader of Renfrewshire Council and newly elected SNP MSP for Renfrew-shire North and West, has quit his post as leader. He will remain as a councillor until 2012 but he said he would give his £16,000-plus basic councillor’s salary to local good causes.

Party colleague George Adam, who secured Paisley for the Nationalists, was also giving up his responsibilities as convener of the Renfrewshire Council’s appeals committee. He will also remain a councillor until next year and will also give away his basic salary.

Mr MacKay said: “I’ve resigned as council leader as I always said I would and will donate my councillor’s salary to local good causes across Renfrewshire. It was said of me last Friday ‘two jobs, one salary’ and I can live with that. I don’t think there’s much rush for a by-election and, in saying that, not one person has asked me to stand down.”

In Glasgow, Labour’s new MSP Anne McTaggart has collected an additional £19,000 for sitting on three of the council’s raft of arms-length external organisations (Aleos) on top of her core salary.

Her party colleague, Hanzala Malik, collects around £11,000 in addition to his basic wages for his position as vice-chairman of the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

The Herald understands that the leadership of Glasgow City Council is seeking to remove Mrs McTaggart and Mr Malik from any positions they hold on outside bodies or Aleos, although this will have to go through committee channels.

But the Labour administration will leave it to both new MSPs to decide what to do with their salaries and whether to step down.

Meanwhile, the leader of the city council’s SNP group, James Dornan, is expected to walk away from his £16,000-a-year post on the board of the SECC ahead of moves to have him removed from it, although his party will continue its dispute with Labour over Nationalist representation on the board.

An SNP spokeswoman said: “With the Holyrood election only a few days ago and the council elections in less than 12 months, new MSPs will take time to consider how best to serve their constituents.

Water load of nonsense - Daily Express

In the past, Renfrewshire Leisure – the management trust which runs sports and leisure centres locally – has provided cups so that people can enjoy some water to cool off after their keep-fit sessions.

However, the plastic cups have now been removed from water machines in fitness suites for "safety reasons".

Instead, people are being told to bring in their own water bottle if they want to rehydrate themselves.

Councillor John Caldwell had steam coming out of his ears when he finished his regular sauna at Johnstone Swimming Pool and then spotted a notice which made it clear Renfrewshire Leisure were no longer providing cheap, plastic cups.

The Labour man, who represents Johnstone South, Elderslie and Howwood, told the Paisley Daily Express: "I use the sauna at Johnstone swimming pool quite regularly and I couldn’t believe it when I saw this sign.

"It’s ludicrous. People using the leisure facilities rely on these cups being available.

"Now everyone will have to bring in their own cups or bottles to use and there are hygiene implications with that.

"If water is needed, then cups should be supplied."

Renfrewshire Leisure said staff at Johnstone Swimming Pool had "mistakenly" removed the plastic cups from the sauna.

However, a spokesman confirmed the cups are no longer available at fitness suites.

He added: "Due to health and safety concerns about the potential for water spilling from cups and on to electrically-powered equipment in our fitness suites, we decided to remove cups from the water machines.

"We are trying to encourage people to use capped water bottles to avoid spillages when they are using the gym equipment, most of which require electrical power.

"We have even gone as far as giving out free water bottles to our customers.

"Staff at our Johnstone facility mistakenly removed the cups from the sauna, as well as the fitness suite there.

"The cups have been returned to the sauna area and will remain there for the use of our customers.

Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland

Burgh of Johnstone, Renfrewshire. The official handbook, etc. [With illustrations and a map.].

The Cochranes of Renfrewshire, Scotland, the ancestry of Alexander Cochrane of Billerica and Malden, Mass., U.S.A.

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