Councillors told to tackle 'out of control' drinking culture

Inquiry uncovers unease over boozy parties and mishandling of abuse allegation

A culture of excessive drinking among city councillors and their guests, including during business hours, has been uncovered at the City Chambers.

An official inquiry has found evidence of alcohol flowing freely at functions hosted by politicians at the Chambers off the Royal Mile, leading to “public arguments and altercations”.

Complaints of “excessive drinking” and concerns about the likelihood of under-age consumption of alcohol going unchecked have also been raised in the investigation by former Scottish Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion.

In a diplomatically-worded recommendation, Mr Dunion has urged councillors to “consider the appropriateness of social events and hospitality arrangements”.

His findings come after he was commissioned by the city council to carry out an independent inquiry into the handling of complaints of sexual harassment against former council leader Cammy Day.

Councillor Day quit as leader of the local authority shortly before Christmas after being accused of sending inappropriate sexual messages to Ukrainian refugees. A police investigation found “no evidence of criminality”.

Mr Dunion’s report was largely reassuring about the way the most recent complaints had been dealt with by the local authority, describing them as “well handled and properly considered”. It also found the council’s policies and procedures to be sound.

However, it raised questions about the handling by another former council leader, Adam Nols-McVey, of a previous allegation that “a senior Labour councillor” had “groomed” a 15-year-old boy.

While Nols-McVey informed the police of the anonymous allegation, he failed to tell the council’s chief executive or monitoring officer, despite the serious nature of the allegation.

Mr Dunion also condemned the “egregious” leaking for political gain of details of a complaint made through the council’s whistleblowing service, which he said would undermine the confidence of victims bringing issues forward in future.