Chairman of SPT steps down amid expenses investigation

THE chairman of Strathclyde Passenger Transport is set to relinquish his role today amid serious concerns about the expenses claims of senior executives in the organisation.

Councillor Alistair Watson will step down as the head of Scotland's largest transport body as pressure grows on the body to account for 117,573 of claims made by SPT officials.

The transport quango confirmed that Mr Watson was leaving, as reports emerged that Glasgow City Council, who appoint the SPT chair, believed his position was now untenable.

An SPT spokeswoman, however, claimed his resignation was because of ill health following advice from doctors. "Councillor Watson had health problems last year and he has again been advised to reduce his workload," she said.

It is believed the councillor was under increasing pressure to justify his organisation's expenses in the face of an investigation that has been launched by Audit Scotland, called in to examine the expense claims of senior SPT officials, revealed in a series of Freedom of Information requests.

Documents show that 49,195 was used to fund foreign "fact finding" trips over the past three years, with SPT executives found to have travelled to China, India, Italy, America, Singapore, Russia, Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic, staying in lavish hotels.

The organisation's chief executive, Ron Culley, who earns a salary of 129,000 a year, was revealed to have spent 6,500 dining in restaurants as well as running up a 1,700 taxi bill that included 90 spent travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Questions have also been raised over a trip to Manchester made by three senior officials in May 2008 that coincided with Rangers' appearance in the Uefa Cup final.

The executives claimed they were meeting Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) to discuss transport arrangements during the Commonwealth Games and a 138 bill for lunch was submitted by Bob Wylie, the organisation's communication's director.

GMPTE later issued a statement indicating none of its officials had attended the lunch. Audit Scotland has also been asked to investigate why the delegation claimed 385 for a two-night stay in a spa hotel in Manchester when the GMPTE meeting lasted less than one hour.

And last week, apparent discrepancies in Councillor Watson's register of interests emerged after a company he claimed had hosted him at a Rangers match in August denied offering the hospitality.

Graeme Hendry, the SNP councillor who called in Audit Scotland, said: "I have been concerned at the attitude shown by SPT to public money for some time, but over recent weeks information has emerged in the public domain which has increased my concern to the point where I feel an investigation by Audit Scotland is the only option."

Alex Johnstone MSP, the Conservative transport spokesman, said new rules agreed in the recent Scottish Government budget that will see all items of government expenditure over 25,000 published online, would help eradicate this type of situation."