MSP slams North Lanarkshire SNP over audit committee appointment

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Lanarkshire MSP has slammed the SNP group in North Lanarkshire for appointing one of their councillors as chair of the council's audit and scrutiny committee.Meghan Gallacher, who served as the former chair of the panel when serving as a Scottish Conservative councillor under the previous Labour administration, says that the decision by the SNP removes the ability for opposition members to properly scrutinise them.Audit Scotland has said that openness and transparency is best achieved within councils where the chair of scrutiny or audit committees are not members of the ruling administration.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android However, following a council meeting earlier this month, SNP councillor Denis Johnston has been appointed to the role.Ms Gallacher said: “I was proud to serve as the chair of audit and scrutiny in the last term as an opposition member.“It wasn’t without its challenges though, with SNP members making misogynistic and discriminatory remarks towards me.“However, I was undeterred in fulfilling my key role in scrutinising the policies and decision-making of the then Labour administration.“This makes it all the more galling for me to see that long-held process ripped up by SNP members who have appointed one of their own councillors to chair this committee.“It is all too typical of