Wednesday February 4th 2026
Glasgow City Chamber
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly and Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Councils nationwide are being invited by the Accounts Commission to ‘learn lesson’ after five senior members of Glasgow City Council received more than £1 million in ‘golden goodbye’ early retirement and redundancy pay-outs.
The Accounts Commission says the Glasgow council’s restructuring proposals did not receive any independent scrutiny and appeared to have been approved by some of the individuals who directly benefited with the five senior staff who left the council between 2021 and 2024 including former chief executive Annemarie O’Donnell.
The regulator said the actions of the senior staff “fell short of the values and principles every public sector worker and councillor are expected to follow”.
Police Scotland carried out extensive inquiries into the Glasgow situation following a report, but no criminality was established.
Within the Scottish councils invited to learn lessons is the cash-strapped Scottish Borders Council.
When the Borders Council’s Audit Committee meet on Monday, February 9, they will consider the report and make specific recommendations.
They also plan to consider examples in the Borders Council which demonstrates where items of private business activity relating to changes to the Council Management Team structures within the previous two years were submitted for approval.
Both items on March 28, 2024 and March 27, 2025 were considered as private business – with the public and press excluded.
A report to the committee states: “The key message of the Controller of Audit report was ‘the processes, decisions and actions that enabled five senior Glasgow City Council officers to take significant early retirement and redundancy payouts fell short of the behaviour and standards expected of public servants’.
“The Accounts Commission highlighted that it is vital that all councils take action to recognise the important learnings from this report.”
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