George Square revamp: Council leader urged to resign

Gordon Matheson has been reported to an ethics watchdog over the aborted George Square redevelopment. Picture: Robert Perry

He is accused of numerous breaches of conduct as a councillor during the controversial design competition to overhaul the city centre space.

The Labour leader of Glasgow City Council faces claims of attempting to coerce staff, improper bias, interfering in a legally defined procurement process, and trying to be “directly involved” in the local council’s operational management.

The leader of the council’s SNP group urged Mr Matheson to “do the honourable thing” by considering his position, and accused him of “damaging” the city’s reputation.

The complaints, made by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS), were filed last week to the Public Standards Commissioner, which has the power to suspend or disqualify those serving in public office. The competition collapsed in acrimony in January, when the judging panel selected a blueprint from John McAslan & Partners from six shortlisted entries, only for Mr Matheson to announce the council had scrapped the initiative.

In a report last month, RIAS, which ran the competition, criticised Mr Matheson, claiming he supported another entry. The contest cost taxpayers an estimated £100,000 and architectural practices a further £200,000.

A spokesman for RIAS said it did not comment on leaked documents. However, the complaint sent to the Public Standards Commissioner includes a statement from Kerr Robertson, until recently the council’s lead architect and projects director.

He alleges that while the competition was bound by EU procurement legislation, he was told six weeks before the final judging process began that “Gordon Matheson [would] be allowed to choose the winning design”, and that he was asked to ensure “other jury members would fall in line with this”.

Yesterday, some council sources suggested Mr Robertson may have had a grudge against Mr Matheson, but such allegations were rejected out of hand by those close to the abandoned project. One said: “The suggestion he might have a grudge against Cllr Matheson is absolutely absurd. He had always been the most supportive, diligent, and hugely professional employee of Glasgow City Council.”

It is believed Mr Robertson’s retirement was negotiated around six months before the start of the George Square competition. The complaint, filed at the request of the ruling council of RIAS, concerns Mr Matheson’s “alleged misconduct”, adding that the body has “very significant concerns about the role of the competition and the role of Cllr Matheson in particular”.

Aside from the specific complaint, however, there is disquiet over how Scottish Labour has reacted to the council Labour administration’s handling of the overall George Square contest.

Neil Baxter, secretary of the RIAS, said last night: “We have offered briefings to all the main political parties in Scotland. Three of them have taken us up on this. The only party that hasn’t is Labour.”

A spokesman for Mr Matheson said: “Even the RIAS make it clear in the complaint that they can’t find a rule they think has been broken and they acknowledge that the competition was well run. They are also clear that they have no evidence of anyone attempting to improperly influence the jury.”