The Press and Journal can today reveal the Highland councillors who are getting a free lunch – and why they do not pay for their meals.
An investigation has laid bare the total confusion over an elected members’ pact to pay for their food on a voluntary basis.
Most either failed to read the e-mail reminding them of what they had agreed – or did not digest the information.
After the Press and Journal approached all 80 members of the council, 24 admitted not paying and 24 did not respond to questions about the issue, although some of those are known to be away.
Another 17 councillors have paid their way and 11 made it clear that they did not take lunch.
Four flatly refused to discuss the issue.
Before the start of this financial year, councillors agreed to establish an option of paying the £4.70 for meals in the members’ canteen when attending meetings at the local authority’s Glenurquhart Road HQ.
It was seen as a token gesture in an era of unprecedented budget pressures, a situation which got worse this week when the council learned it may now need to find savings totalling £41million for one year from a revenue budget of about £470million.
But just 17 councillors have so far acted on the voluntary lunch payment.
Revelations about the scale of payment were unearthed by Lochaber member Andrew Baxter, of the breakaway Highland Alliance group.
SNP councillor Dave Fallows has since played down the scale of revenue the authority’s finance department calculated could be retrieved from lunch bills – £15,000 – and described it as a “storm in a dinner plate”.
However, Councillor Baxter and others have stressed that there is a principle at stake at a time when the authority is faced with making service cuts across the board to balance its books.
There are also conflicting views among councillors on whether public servants should expect a free lunch when most people outwith the public sector do not.
A strong argument in favour of the luxury is that many councillors travel more than 200 miles per day in their own cars and work long hours for a basic £16,000 salary in order to attend important Inverness meetings to represent their constituents.
Mr Baxter said yesterday: “It may seem to some that it’s a minor amount we’re talking about but it’s the principle and whether we, collectively as councillors, can make savings ourselves. I’m pleased this is being discussed publicly.”
The Press and Journal asked councillors if they had lunch, if they paid for it and, if they did not pay, to explain why not.
They were also asked if they were aware of the pledge councillors made.
Council leader Margaret Davidson declined to give a personal response, but said the lunch expenses issue had “caused some confusion”.
She said: “There are a variety of reasons why the income so far raised through this scheme has not been high.
“Many members were unaware of the voluntary charging proposals. Some may be using old expenses forms which will not have the box asking for a voluntary payment.”
She also emphasised that some colleagues submitted expenses claims later in the year.
SNP group deputy leader Richard Laird, an Inverness councillor, suggested the “routine” privilege of free lunches should be stopped.
The current system governing councillors’ expenses and allowances could be simpler. Some members qualify for an Inverness lunch allowance of up to £12 because of their far-flung locations.
The council’s business manager Kate Lackie has reissued an e-mail first sent to all councillors in April, reminding them that “some members may be using old claim forms or may be unsure how to use the claim form to pay for any meals taken”.
She attached a revised expenses form for guidance and highlighted a column headed “tick for meal deduction”.
The 17 members stumping up for their lunches have so far saved council tax payers £371.90.
HAVE NOT PAID (most have now pledged that they will) (24)
Ian Brown (SNP), Carolyn Caddick (LD), Jim Crawford (Ind), Gillian Coghill (Ind), Mike Finlayson (Ind), Craig Fraser (SNP), Stephen Fuller (SNP), Bren Gormley (SNP), Ken Gowans (SNP), Donnie Mackay (Ind), Willie Mackay (Ind), Angela MacLean (LD), Ken MacLeod (LD), Liz MacDonald (SNP), Neil MacDonald (Lab), Drew Millar (Highland Alliance), Hugh Morrison (Ind), Martin Rattray (Highland Alliance), Alasdair Rhind (Ind), Glynis Sinclair (SNP), Jean Slater (SNP), Kate Stephen (LD), Jamie Stone (LD) and Ben Thompson (Ind).
SILENT MEMBERS (4)
These councillors declined to comment: Ian Cockburn (SNP), Dave Fallows (SNP), Bill Lobban (SNP), Ian Renwick (SNP).
NO RESPONSE (24)
David Bremner (Ind), Biz Campbell (Ind), Margaret Davidson (Ind), Allan Duffy (SNP), George Farlow (SNP), Bill Fernie (Ind), John Ford (Lab), Hamish Fraser (Ind), Laurie Fraser (Ind), John Gordon (Ind), Alec Graham (LD), Jimmy Gray (Lab), Bet McAllister (Lab), Isobel McCallum (Ind), Deirdre Mackay (Lab), Graham MacKenzie (SNP), Alister Mackinnon (Ind), Thomas MacLennan (Highland Alliance), Linda Munro (non aligned), Margaret Paterson (Ind), Graham Phillips (SNP), Fiona Robertson (Ind), John Rosie (Ind) and Hamish Wood (LD).
DON’T DO LUNCH (11)
The following councillors told the P&J they do not take lunch at Glenurquhart Road: Bill Clark (SNP), Janet Campbell (Ind), Alasdair Christie (LD), Norrie Donald (Ind), Donnie Kerr (Highland Alliance), Richard Laird (SNP), Jim McGillivray (Ind), Gregor Rimell (LD), Gail Ross (SNP), Maxine Smith (SNP) and Carolyn Wilson (non aligned).
MEMBERS WHO PAID (17)
Only 17 councillors have paid for lunches (a total of £371.90) through deductions from their expenses between April and October 2015.
They were David Alston (LD), Roddy Balfour (Ind), Jennifer Barclay (Ind), Andrew Baxter (Highland Alliance), Helen Carmichael (Ind), Jean Davis (LD), Jaci Douglas (non aligned), Michael Green (Ind), Richard Greene (Ind), Allan Henderson (Ind), Brian Murphy (Lab), Fraser Parr (Lab), Thomas Prag (LD), Matthew Reiss (Ind), Graham Ross (Ind), Roger Saxon (Lab) and Audrey Sinclair (Ind).