Lord Provost criticised over £8,000 claim on shoes and clothes

Glasgow’s Lord Provost has been urged to resign after it emerged she has claimed £8,000 in expenses for clothes, shoes and beauty products.

Eva Bolander spent £1,150 on 23 pairs of shoes and £435 for seven blazers between May 2017 and August 2019, the Daily Record reported.

She also claimed up to £992 for 14 dresses, £665 for five coats,  £374.50 for six jackets and £152 for underwear.

The SNP councillor also claimed for money spent on her appearance including £751 for 10 haircuts, £479 for 20 nail treatments and £66 on make-up.

Scottish Labour have branded the spending “grotesque” and called on her to repay the money and step down.

Glasgow Labour MSP James Kelly said: “While services for homeless people across Glasgow are being cut, the SNP Lord Provost has been touring the city in a grotesque spending spree at the taxpayers’ expense.

“In just one trip to John Lewis she spent more on herself than what a worker being paid the national minimum wage earns in a whole week.

“Eva Bolander should pay back the money and resign.”

The Lord Provost also claimed £358 for a pair of spectacles and £240 on two hats.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon tweeted that the spending would have funded 72 school clothing grants, which are £110 for a child from a low-income family.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The national committee that oversees councillors’ pay recognises that the requirement to represent their city at hundreds of events means Lord Provosts often incur personal expenses.

“For that reason, the Scottish Government allocates a civic allowance to each council.

“For Glasgow City Council, this is subject to a yearly maximum of £5,000.”

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken, SNP, said it is recognised that there is an “additional cost” to being a civic leader for the Lord Provost (LP)

She tweeted: “It’s part of the LP’s salary in Glasgow, it’s always been understood that there’s an additional cost of being civic leader.

“Last LP was in fortunate financial position of not requiring it. Underwear = not pants but long slips for under black tie dresses, as I understand.”

Scottish Conservative Glasgow MSP Annie Wells said: “For any politician to think they can claim something like this on expenses is a joke.

“It’s not even one or two misdemeanours – these revelations show a pattern of behaviour which will be completely unacceptable to council tax payers in Glasgow.

“She must now do the right thing and stand down – there’s simply no way she can continue in this senior role after these reports.

“She also owes the people of Glasgow an almighty apology.”