16-05-2025
Officials failed to prevent misuse of public money at water regulator
Government officials failed to prevent an 'unacceptable use' of taxpayers' money at the nation's troubled water regulator, MSPs have found.
A 'catalogue of failures' at the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (Wics) led to inappropriate spending, the report published on Friday concluded, including £200-a-head meals, gift cards for staff and a £77,000 Harvard business course for a senior manager.
Alan Sutherland, the former chief executive of Wics, stepped down after the publication of a damning Audit Scotland report in December 2023. Its findings prompted further investigations into the quango, which uncovered more instances of spending outside public finance guidelines and Donald Macrae, the chairman, resigned in October last year.
The body acts as the economic regulator for Scottish Water and is supposed to
