Fiona Higgins

Scots rock entrepreneur bankrolls Glasgow council freedom of speech fight A 'freedom of speech' battle over the 'gagging' of a Glasgow councillor is being bankrolled by a multi-millionaire Scots rock band drummer turned…

Councillors must be free to scrutinise financial decisions on the public’s behalf. Article 10 gives us enhanced freedom of speech rights to do so — protecting that principle is essential to protecting the public. This is far bigger than my own case.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2549238...

This isn’t about individuals — it’s about systems. My next Medium article will look at what Glasgow’s exit payments teach us about protecting democracy and public trust. Out next week.
#ScrutinyMatters

Councillors are not disruptors. Councillors are democracy’s safeguard. If scrutiny is silenced, the price is paid in public money — and in public trust. Glasgow’s exit payments prove it.

The Accounts Commission has now written to every Council in Scotland. The message is blunt: governance, transparency & scrutiny must improve, or public trust will erode further.

When senior officers approve exit packages that also affect their own positions, that’s a textbook conflict of interest. Without Councillor oversight, the public is left unprotected.
#ScrutinyMatters

Glasgow’s £1m+ exit payments exposed a basic failure: Councillors were shut out of key decisions. The Accounts Commission is clear — scrutiny wasn’t just weak, it was absent.

🧵 Glasgow’s £1m+ exit payments aren’t just a financial story — they’re a warning about what happens when scrutiny is sidelined. Here’s why #ScrutinyMatters:

audit.scot/news/exits-o...

When Scrutiny Is Silenced, Democracy Weakens Oversight protects both public money and human rights. Scrutiny is not optional– it is a legal duty and a democratic safeguard. As a Glasgow City Councillor and teacher, I have seen daily how budget…

Oversight protects public money & human rights. Councillors aren’t elected to nod along but to ask hard questions. Silencing scrutiny = weakening democracy.
🔗 medium.com/@CllrFionaHi...
#Accountability #LocalGovernment #UNCRC #Scotland #chillingdemocracy