SFC Review of Governance July 2021: Complaints levelled against SLC Board Members by SLC Staff
Dear Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council,
An article published in the Daily Record on 17th March reports on the newspaper being in receipt of a Whistleblowing complaint related to South Lanarkshire College stated ‘McKenchie and Keegan were “temporarily removed from their positions” in December amid allegations of “bullying, harassment, breaches of governance and behaviour and conduct,” which sources claim were levelled at the board and not at the executives who were suspended.
The S22 Report states that the SFC Governance Review was instigated by the Principal and by the RSB in June 2021.
I write under the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and request the following information:
1. When did the Principal and separately the RSB alert the SFC to governance or conduct concerns? How did the SFC respond to these alerts?
2. Were complaints of a similar nature (to those reported in the Daily Record 17th March) raised by College staff against the SLC Chair and SLC Board members as part of the SFC review of governance in July?
3. Are these complaints captured in the SFC report?
4. If so, what action did the SFC take to address staff’s complaints?
5. What action did the SFC take after the publication of the report in August to address the governance failures subsequently cited in the S22 report?
6. What is the SFC role in relation to the prevention of governance failings in colleges?
7. Has the SFC subsequently received any complaints from SLC staff (after the completion of the review) about governance or conduct concerns? Did the SFC receive any complaints from SLC staff about the conduct of SLC Board members? If so, what action did the SFC take in response to these complaints?
Please provide all available documentary evidence to support any action taken by the SFC in relation to each of the questions above.
Please confirm in writing that you have received my FOI request.
Yours faithfully,
Brian Sorrell
Good Morning
Please find attached acknowledgement of your request.
Kind Regards
Emma
Emma Pantel
Information Management and Governance Officer, Data Protection Officer| Oifigear Rianachd Fiosrachaidh & Riaghlachas
Corporate Services | Seirbheisean Corporra
Scottish Funding Council | Comhairle Maoineachaidh na h-Alba
t: (+44) 0131 313 6566 e: [email address]
My usual working pattern is full-time Monday to Friday
Register online: www.sfc.ac.uk Follow us:
Please consider the environment before printing | Smaoinichibh air an Àrainneachd mus priont sibh seo.
Good Afternoon
Please find attached our response to your recent FOISA request.
Kind regards
Emma
Dear Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
Thank you for your response of 21 June to my FOI request of 23 May about the widely publicised governance failings at South Lanarkshire College, which have been subject to discussion at the Public Audit Committee on 12 May and to significant negative publicity in the Scottish and UK press.
I request an internal review of your response on the grounds that the Cabinet Secretary for Education stated in parliament on 1 June 2022 that ‘the SFC is the responsible organisation for overseeing any investigation into such matters, and that the SFC acted immediately to understand and stabilise the situation…’.
Given the SFC’s intervention in summer 2021 predated all of the governance failings identified in the Audit Scotland Section 22 report, it does not appear that the SFC intervention delivered any stabilization, indeed it might be viewed as the trigger for all of the subsequent failings. Given the SFC intervention in summer 2021, I believe that the public interest in such a matter of public body failure, excessive waste of public funds, reputational damage to public institutions and to public figures, far outweighs the grounds you cite for withholding information.
Please acknowledge receipt of my request for an internal review.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/s...
Yours faithfully,
Brian Sorrell
Good Afternoon
Please find attached our acknowledgement of your request for review in relation to FOISA698.
Kind regards
Emma
Emma Pantel
Information Management and Governance Officer & Data Protection Officer | Oifigear Rianachd Fiosrachaidh & Riaghlachas
Policy, Insight and Analytics| Poileasaidh, Lèirse agus Anailitics
Scottish Funding Council | Comhairle Maoineachaidh na h-Alba
t: (+44) 0131 313 6566 e: [email address]
My working pattern is normally Mon-Fri 9am – 5 pm
Register online: www.sfc.ac.uk Follow us:
Please consider the environment before printing | Smaoinichibh air an Àrainneachd mus priont sibh seo.
Good Afternoon
Please find attached our response to your request for review.
Kind regards
Emma
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