MSPs to examine election payouts to council chiefs

Scotland's MSPs are to examine how appropriate payments received by election returning officers in Scotland are.

Bob Doris.

There have been calls to reform the system, which can see highly-paid council chiefs get extra payments of tens of thousands of pounds.

According to BBC Scotland, Holyrood’s local government committee will examine how theses payments are made and decide how appropriate they are.

Convener Bob Doris said there was “understandable public concern” about the payments.

“The level of payment varies for different elections and different councils, and we’re also aware some returning officers claim their payment, while others share payments with their staff. We want to find out more about how these payments operate, what their uptake is and whether they remain appropriate,” he added.

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Some local ­authority heads can receive extra payments of tens of ­thousands of pounds for being in charge of election results in their area.

With Scotland going to the polls for five elections and referendums across three years, returning officers have been in high demand.

It is estimated that almost £500,000 was shared between the 32 returning officers inside a matter of weeks in 2016

Returning officers are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of elections at a local, national and European level, as well as referendums.

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