McVitie's owners hand Glasgow City Council 'secret' £1m donation after shutting historic factory

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The owners of the McVitie's biscuit empire handed a Scots council a "secret" £1m donation after closing down a factory with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

Pladis, a Turkish-owned confectionary conglomerate, closed the century-old plant in Tollcross, Glasgow, in 2022 despite a public backlash.The decision to shutter the historic Victoria Biscuit Works was opposed by local politicians and saw a Scottish Government taskforce try in vain to save more than 400 jobs.

The factory was known for producing iconic British brands such as Digestives and Hobnobs.It can now be revealed Pladis has handed Glasgow City Council a £1m donation on the condition the company was not identified as the source.Councillors were informed of the donation at a meeting closed to the public last week, with members of the press asked to leave before the issue was discussed.John Grady, the Scottish Labour MP for Glasgow East, has now called on the council's SNP administration to be fully transparent on how the donation will be spent.He last week wrote to Glasgow City Council - before the identity of Pladis was made public - asking whether it was appropriate for such a donation to remain secret.Grady warned anonymity “gives him cause for serious concern”.

In a letter to Susan Aitken, the council leader, he said: "Accepting the donation on condition that the identity of the donor and related key details are not disclosed would make it difficult, if not impossible, for my constituents and other interested third parties to assess whether the donation created any conflict of interest."Speaking today, Grady told the Record: "This donation is a lot of money and the council needs to now confirm as much as it can, so the public can have confidence that this