Bosses at Glasgow council live entertainment firm awarded nearly £120,000 in bonuses

Daily Record

2 days ago

Bosses at a live entertainment firm owned by Glasgow council pocketed nearly £120,000 in bonuses at a time of cuts to services.
Executives at Scottish Event Campus Ltd were awarded the top up payments as council tax for locals was jacked up by 7.5%.
SEC Ltd is majority owned by the city council and runs money-spinning venues like the Armadillo and the Hydro.
Performers coming to the Hydro later this year include Lewis Capaldi, Katy Perry and Alanis Morissette.
Despite the SNP -run council facing huge budget pressures, the latest accounts show bonuses were again paid to senior SEC figures.
Managing Director Deborah McWilliams received a £32,979 bonus as part of a £216,799 remuneration package.
Colin Hartley, Director of Operations, earned £147,330 in salary which was boosted by a £27,993 bonus. He received £194,258 all in.
Director of Exhibition Sales Daniel Thurlow's £193,511 salary and allowances deal included a £27,256 top up. Kathleen Warden, Director of Conference Sales, was awarded a £29,466 bonus which took her full package to £195,721.
Green MSP Maggie Chapman said: 'It is abysmal that people already receiving a yearly salary that's more than four times higher than the average salary, are then given massive bonuses by councils on top of that. It is even more abysmal that this is happening while public services are crying out for a much-needed cash boost, but being told the purse strings must be tightened.'
'In Glasgow, every secondary school is at risk of losing their librarians next year due to council budget cuts to try and save £100k. Yet, there are top earners in the city, if not the country, receiving £117k in bonuses between them.
'We are in a housing emergency, a health and social care crisis, and residents in Glasgow and across Scotland are suffering under the costs of living.
"I don't believe this is an appropriate message to be sending to the city - that SEC bosses can get a bonus of this scale from the local council, while public services are crumbling.'
An SEC spokesperson said: "The SEC is an integral part of Glasgow's economy and culture. The campus welcomed 1.8 million visitors in 2024 generating £468 million in economic impact for Glasgow and the wider Scottish economy.
'As a self-funding private limited company, we recognise and reward performance in line with industry standards. This year, our directors received a performance-related bonus as part of their overall remuneration package, as determined by the Board's Remuneration Committee and guided by external benchmarking."
The cash-strapped council has cut services in recent years and effectively remortgaged signature buildings to pay for equal pay claims.
It comes as a former chief executive at a firm owned by Edinburgh council was handed a £22,343 bonus in his last year.
The top up for ex EICC boss Marshall Dallas came as councillors landed local residents with an 8% council tax rise.
The EICC, ultimately owned by the Labour -run council, operates at arm's length as a conference venue.
Dallas announced last year he would be leaving the organisation after a decade in charge.