Payments to returning officers should end, say MSPs

Extra payments made to Returning Officers in Scotland, for administering polls and elections should end, according to a parliamentary report.

The role of Returning Officer — which, in Scotland, sees council Chief Executives take on the task of conducting various elections — can see hundreds of thousands of pounds paid out to individuals. The findings come in an inquiry report into payments made to Returning Officers.

Orkney’s returning Officer is Orkney Islands Council (OIC) Chief Executive Alistair Buchan, who most recently, was Orkney’s returning officer for the Scottish Election and the EU Referendum, both last year, and during the election night event held in Shetland for the 2014 General Election.

OIC have confirmed that a payment of £2,500 was made in 2015 and a payment of £3,875 was made in 2016. In comparison, these were some of the lowest payments made in the country.

Calling for reform of the current system, Holyrood’s Local Government and Communities Committee said the current system lacks transparency and could impact on people’s views on the integrity of the electoral system.

Convener of the Local Government and Communities Committee, Bob Doris MSP, said: “Our committee has found that the current system of payments to returning officers is lacking transparency, which could have an impact on people’s views on the integrity of the system.

“There is a lack of transparency around the value of these payments and how they are allocated, however we heard that payments can range from £2,500 in Orkney and Shetland to over £16,000 in Edinburgh and may reportedly be worth as much £1m in total.

“We believe that all costs associated with elections should be processed around the principles of openness and transparency if the public are to have confidence in how our elections are run.”

Although the committee said it recognised the high level of personal responsibility placed on Returning Officers during the election period and acknowledges the hard work and commitment shown by them, the role should remain independent and outwith political control.

It was also noted that the Committee is not persuaded that the current system of remuneration is in proportion with the workload, responsibilities and liabilities of the role.