GLASGOW’S Lord Provost is to resign after a public backlash to her charging taxpayers £8000 for clothes, shoes and make-overs.
Eva Bolander agreed to quit at a two-hour meeting of the ruling SNP group on the City Council.
One of those present said her fellow councillors had been “exceedingly sad” to see her go, but the row over her spending had caused too much public anger for her to stay on.
She is expected to step down at the monthly meeting of the full council on Thursday.
READ MORE: Glasgow's Lord Provost claims £8,000 on clothing and beauty treatments
A council source confirmed: "She accepted she had made a misjudgment in claiming for things that, although it was within the rules, she should not have."
The Scottish Tories said Ms Bolander's downfall made Nicola Sturgeon and Glasgow council leader Susan Aitken, who both defended her, look "foolish".
Earlier this month, Ms Bolander apologised and offered to repay some of her excessive civil allowance claims after they were made public.
The spending included £1150 for 23 pairs of shoes, £665 for five coats, £751 for ten haircuts, £240 on hats and £479 on nail treatments.
Labour dubbed her the Imelda Marcos of Scottish politics, after the shoe-obsessed former First Lady of the Philippines.
One source at today’s meeting told the Herald: “Eva has resigned. A lot of councillors were getting a lot of flak from people in their wards about her spending. We were going to get slapped over it in the election.
“I think what really topped it off was the shoes. Maybe she could have claimed for a few pairs of shoes or half a dozen, but 23?
“Everyone is exceedingly sad. I think there will be a lot of repercussions over the Lord Provost’s role, and that’s a shame because Glasgow needs a role like that.”
It is understood Ms Bolander’s successor will be chosen by the whole council.
Glasgow Tory MSP Annie Wells said: “This has been embarrassing for the SNP from start to finish.
READ MORE: Sack Glasgow's Lord Provost? Eva Bolander did no wrong
“The Provost should never have charged the public for designer clothes, and she should have gone when this news first broke.
“Nicola Sturgeon and Susan Aitken look foolish for defending the provost to the hilt when everyone in Glasgow could see her expenses claims were a joke.
“Hopefully the next Provost will be fit to serve the people of Glasgow.”
Despite the controversy, Ms Sturgeon described Ms Bollander as an “excellent Lord Provost for the City of Glasgow” at a recent First Minister’s Questions.
She also said it was “the right decision” to apologise and repay some claims.
Ms Bolander had been paid a total salary of £39,310 as Lord Provost before expenses, more than the average salary in Glasgow.
The spending by Ms Bolander, who was elected as an SNP councillor for Anderston in 2015 and became Lord Provost in 2017, was revealed by the Daily Record.
As Lord Provost, she was entitled to claim up to £5000 a year for items to help her perform her public duties - her Labour predecessor, Saide Doherty, claimed nothing.
She remained silent in the face of immediate calls to resign as Glasgow’s civic leader.
However she later wrote to her fellow councillors to apologise.
She said: “In submitting claims, I have always tried to ask myself the question, ‘would I require this if I were not Lord Provost?’ Each has been made in good faith and scrupulously accounted for, within the rules.
"Although the spending incurred was within the rules, on reflection, there are items which I should not have chosen to reclaim.”
"I am sorry about that and I am in discussion with financial services to come to an arrangement to repay the relevant expenditure."
Ms Bolander has yet to say exactly what she will repay or which items she now regards as excessive.
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