Edinburgh's social care staff need better pay, not the highest-paid public sector boss in Scotland – Adam McVey

How is Edinburgh Council’s administration able to find the money for those at the top but never those on the front line?

Edinburgh Council now employs the most expensive public sector employee in Scotland. The council’s Labour, Tory, Lib Dem administration voted to pay an interim social care director a full-time equivalent (FTE) of £403,390. That’s not a typo. A £403,390 FTE salary that the administration parties enthusiastically supported. The council has taken on two previous interim directors in other remits but this sum is vastly bigger than anything previously.

The SNP had a number of concerns around the appointment’s process, the enormous cost and the role only covering half the remit of the previous health and social care chief officer it’s replacing, effectively decoupling health and social care by the back door. We proposed a cost-effective alternative which was voted down. However, we cannot stand by and do nothing and will be alerting Audit Scotland to these concerns.

This appointment was in response to the resignation of the chief officer of health and social care following a damning inspection report. While the chief officer was right to stand down, and we thank her for her service, she shouldn’t be made a scapegoat by all of those who were again asleep at the wheel.

Tim Pogson is the administration’s spokesperson as the Integrated Joint Board convenor. Last month Unison told the council that the Labour convenor had told the unions he had no knowledge of a backroom policy change on the closure of several city care homes. A consultation had been amended without democratic approval, to present a “done deal” deciding to close them instead of an open consultation. Through questioning of council officers, it emerged this wasn’t true and Councillor Pogson had signed off the change prior to it going public. When the SNP questioned the Labour councillor, asking directly if he’d lied to the unions, he declined to answer.

If Labour can’t be honest with people about what they knew and when, how can we possibly trust them to be honest about what’s really going on with these lifeline services? It’s clear Councillor Pogson now needs to take responsibility and resign.

Edinburgh social care is experiencing its worst crisis and there is no clear recovery plan yet. The city is overspending by £35m a year in these services, in large part because too many individuals and unpaid carers can only get support when they’re in crisis instead of preventative support being available for people to live a good, independent life in their own home and community.

The SNP council group’s Councillor Vicky Nicolson is a specialist in prevention of crisis care with decades of experience on the front line in Edinburgh. She understands what it’s like for our immensely hard-working staff and how frustrating the “penny wise, pound stupid” approach has been for our dedicated front-line staff who are working flat out to deliver the best for our residents.

Edinburgh Council has employed a council official on the highest public sector salary in Scotland (Picture: Neil Hanna)

One recent comment from the Labour finance convenor was telling. She defended paying the £403,390 FTE salary, also saying she wished they could pay more to our staff. How are the Labour, Tory, Lib Dem administration able to find the money for those at the top but never those on the front line? This was their choice. The SNP will continue to work hard to deliver the best care for our residents.

Adam McVey is Edinburgh Council’s SNP group leader