Edinburgh interim social care boss quits after less than a month following criticism of 'indefensible' salary

Six-month, part-time post gave him equivalent of £403,000 full-time salary – higher than any other public-sector role in Scotland
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An interim Edinburgh council boss is to leave his job less than a month after he started, after councillors criticised his £160,000 salary for a six-month, part-time appointment.

Alan Adams was brought in to lead the city’s adult social care services following the sudden resignation of Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership chief Judith Proctor in May. Last week a report to the full council meeting confirmed Mr Adams’ temporary appointment – but his six-figure pay raised eyebrows in the chamber.

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Some councillors described the sum “indefensible” at a time when social care services are on their knees due to a £47m budget gap and said it equated to a full-time salary of £403,000, making it the highest-paid public sector role in Scotland. Others said this comparison was “inappropriate” and that it was the “going rate” for senior officials hired externally.

Interim social care boss Alan Adams has left Edinburgh City Council after less than a month.  Picture: Neil Hanna.Interim social care boss Alan Adams has left Edinburgh City Council after less than a month.  Picture: Neil Hanna.
Interim social care boss Alan Adams has left Edinburgh City Council after less than a month. Picture: Neil Hanna.

An email sent to councillors by Edinburgh City Council chief executive Andrew Kerr on Thursday said, following discussions, Mr Adams’ contract would now be ending – less than a month after he accepted the role – for “a number of both professional and personal reasons”.

Mr Kerr said: “I am working with Alan in respect of closing down the main diagnostic task he has been undertaking to ensure that this is finalised before he leaves. Part of that consideration will consider how we facilitate the appropriate leadership for the social work aspects of this work and an appropriate response to the inspection report received recently on adult protection and adult social work practice.”

An update on work to find replacement for both Mr Adams and Ms Proctor is set to be given to the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board on Tuesday, June 13. Ms Proctor’s departure last month came weeks after a damning report by the Care Inspectorate, which said too many people and carers in the Capital were not receiving social work services "at the right time or place". It also found social workers were "constantly managing crisis situations" and that "urgent work was sometimes unallocated"; efforts to provide early support to people to prevent conditions worsening were "uncoordinated and inconsistent" and support for unpaid carers was "inadequate".