Claims of homers undertaken by South Lanarkshire College staff at the properties of colleagues and friends in college time and using college materials – including one “of a significant scale” – have been laid out in a leaked report by investigators brought in to probe allegations about conduct within the institution’s ranks.
International accounting, tax, audit and business services firm Azets was commissioned to investigate concerns over potential financial irregularities, “namely that private businesses have been operating from college premises, using college materials and lecturing staff time, and that staff have personally benefitted from the use of college materials and time to build, remodel and repair their homes and other properties.”
The report, leaked to Lanarkshire Live, was commissioned in February 2021 by college principal Aileen McKechnie – who was nine months later dramatically suspended by the board, and remains so, along with interim clerk Brian Keegan.
McKechnie took up the post in April 2020, following the retiral after 18 years’ service, of principal Stewart McKillop.
Azets’ forensic accountants were called in following several complaints, made by members of staff at South Lanarkshire College (SLC) in September 2020 “relating to behaviours and conduct” in the construction faculty.
Areas of concern outlined in the report include theft, the running of private businesses, using SLC materials for personal gain, falsifying student numbers, ‘freebies’ and entertainment involving suppliers, and college vehicles being used to take staff, suppliers and friends on hiking and camping trips.
While investigating an allegation that “a project of a significant scale was built in or around 2013,” – referred to as the ‘Big Job’ and involving numerous SLC staff and college materials – Azets “identified blueprints and other building documentation relating to this work.”
The Azets team state in their report: “We have several examples of the management of this homer being conducted during college time through college emails. We have obtained email correspondence that suggests work on this specific homer was conducted and/or managed by SLC members of staff.” Investigators state that a number of these emails span several years.
Yet, in a summary of findings relating to alleged homers dating back to 2013, the report states: “Although we have identified some evidence suggesting homers may have been conducted, there was no substantive evidence to support them, nor that they were conducted during college time or with college resources.”
Interviewees during the course of the investigation also raised concerns about suppliers allegedly providing “kickbacks and freebies to select SLC staff members in order to obtain business.”
Although the firm acknowledges that claims of bullying and intimidation were raised during their probe, it said this did not form part of its scope of work and was an area SLC’s HR department was exploring.
The report highlights no fewer than 21 weaknesses and associated recommendations, including the tightening of procurement policies and procedures, mandatory annual training on bribery and supplier entertaining for staff, more consistent stock control systems for each faculty, the introduction of a unique tagging system for assets, regular internal reviews of time-tabling, and electronic locks and CCTV in storeroom areas.
Central Scotland MSP Graham Simpson earlier this month stated in the Scottish Parliament that in his view, events at SLC were "a matter for the police". SLC has stated consistently that the report "did not merit police involvement".
Giving his reaction to the leaked Azets report and once again calling for Kirsten Oswald MP to say what she knew of allegations when she was SLC’s head of HR between 2003 and 2015, Mr Simpson told Lanarkshire Live: "Some of the claims in this document are incredible. There’s talk of a major job for a college employee, golf signs being made, a customer of a homer job complaining to the college, scrap being sold for personal gain, freebies, kickbacks – the list goes on.
“To say that none of this is a police matter is astonishing. Frankly, it is not the job of a firm of auditors or college management to decide that – it is for the police to decide if there’s something to investigate. I would have thought that there is rather a lot for them to get their teeth into here.”
A spokesperson for South Lanarkshire College stressed that the Azets’ report concluded that there was no evidence of criminality that would have necessitated a further police investigation.
He added: “However, recommendations were identified, all of which were accepted by the college. The management response to the Azets’ report details those recommendations in full and is available publicly on the college website.”
A spokesperson for Kirsten Oswald MP said: "Kirsten hasn’t worked for South Lanarkshire College since 2015 and has no information to contribute."
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