Cops’ union under fire over hotel bills

THE body representing Scotland’s rank and file cops has come under fire for “lavish spending” including lunches and conferences at five-star hotels.

The Sunday Post has learned bosses at the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) are regularly racking up hospitality and travel bills worth thousands of pounds every month.

It is understood General Secretary Calum Steele’s expense claims have included stays in four star hotels and lunches at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

And last week the SPF held its annual conference in the luxurious five-star Turnberry resort in Ayrshire where bosses made repeated warnings about the state of Police Scotland’s finances.

The SPF banks nearly £400,000 a year from the Scottish Government towards the organisation’s running costs. But federation bosses last night categorically denied any taxpayers’ cash went towards its conferences or hospitality.

One source close to the SPF said: “If rank and file members knew what their membership fees were being spent on they’d be livid. The SPF hierarchy has a job to do in terms of travelling and meeting people but there is no excuse for what is frankly often lavish spending.

“There has been a lot of grumbling since the forces merged that the SPF is not doing enough to stand up for members and that it’s too close to the government.

“And there is clearly a disconnect between the SPF raising concerns about cuts to the force budget and then deciding to have its annual conference in a five star hotel.”

The SPF is given a £374,000 grant by the Scottish Government every year in recognition of its remit to promote efficiency and welfare within the police service.

The cash is used to cover salaries of senior staff, office costs and expenses as well as “appropriate travel and subsistence expenses to meet the needs of the federation”.

Last year the SPF’s equivalent body in England and Wales was dogged by controversy amid allegations of lavish spending on credit cards and spending £26 million on a new headquarters in Surrey.

Eben Wilson, director of campaign group TaxpayerScotland, said: “It would be very helpful to be assured that any public funding of the SPF is being carefully stewarded for properly recognised functions.

“We’d like to see transparent and well-publicised independent scrutiny of all SPF spending, separating official spending from members’ discretionary expenses. “

Last week Mr Steele issued a stark warning about a £11 million black hole in Police Scotland’s finances, saying there were no more savings to be made in the force.

He said: “It is the single most important issue that is facing the service, the SPF believes we can take no more, we have cut as much as we can cut.”

Mr Steele said: “The activities of the SPF involve meetings with leading politicians, opinion formers, journalists , lawyers and all walks of professional life. They also necessitate extensive travel and often overnight stays, which can occasionally be last minute. With very few exceptions these costs are not met from the SPF government grant.

“It is entirely appropriate that the SPF recognises the status of such individuals on the occasions such meetings occur as any similar representative body would, and should do. Where costs are incurred these are not met from the SPF government grant. “

He added: “Conference 2015 took place against the backdrop of a looming General Election. The venue was secured at extremely competitive rates and was entirely appropriate for our needs.

“All SPF spending is scrutinised through our own rigid internal mechanisms, is subject to external audit and is fully compliant with all legislative requirements.”