Lib Dems reveal £1.2 million PR and consultant bill for 2014 games

10.48.55am GMT Mon 21st Dec 2009

The Liberal Democrats have revealed that the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council have spent over £1.2million on consultants and managers in just two years.

The figures were obtained using Freedom of Information requests and show that Glasgow City Council has already spent £681,885 and the Scottish Government has spent £599,035.

The total budget for the Commonwealth Games has already rocketed by £80 million.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Sport spokesperson Ross Finnie MSP said:

"The Commonwealth Games will be a spectacular occasion and we hope that they leave a lasting legacy for Scotland.

"But history tells us that the budgets for staging massive international sports events will soar unless every aspect of expenditure is rigorously controlled. The Scottish Government has already been forced to dig deep and find an extra £80 million. That’s an awful lot of taxpayers’ money in these tough times.

"So it’s absolutely vital that the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council keep on top of every pound that is spent. Blowing over £1.2 million on consultants and PR in the first two years isn’t a good sign that Ministers and councillors are focussing on the essentials and getting their spending priorities right."