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The former chief executive of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (Wics), Alan Sutherland, has had his expense claims scrutinized by consultants Ernst & Young on behalf of the Scottish government. The claims submitted between October 2018 and June 2023 were analyzed as part of a review of governance and spending at the public body. Details of the expenses claim included a £170 Mulberry wallet and £290 glasses which were determined to have no clear business purpose. While Mr. Sutherland was head of the watchdog, he also authorized privileged business class flights to New Zealand costing £18,000.
The audit was commissioned by the Scottish government following a report by Audit Scotland detailing how lavish spending had been prevalent at Wics. Senior executives had completed MBA courses costing up to £70,000 and a senior manager was funded for an £80,000 Harvard Business School course.
The latest report commissioned by the government concluded that the payment of expenses revealed there was a “poor control and governance environment”. Furthermore, it was noted that there were wide-ranging values for how much could be claimed on working from home expenses, which allowed for desk expenses ranging from £100 to £600.
Aside from Mr. Sutherland’s resignation, another review found that much of the senior team from his tenure still remains in place. The organization has 26 staff members and had an income of approximately £5.3m last year. Finally, acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin commented, “We place the utmost importance on the proper spending of public money and have made it very clear that the approach to expenditure highlighted here and in previous disclosures was simply unacceptable.”
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