Anger after councillor walks free after £26,500 expenses scam

A CAMPAIGNER who exposed a councillor for scamming £26,500 of taxpayers’ cash yesterday hit out after he walked free.

Tommy Williams pocketed wages as a Glasgow City Council social worker for three years – despite not doing any work – while also claiming expenses as a Renfrewshire councillor.

But Williams, 58, got a not proven verdict on a fraud rap after claiming his boss Raymond Bell sanctioned his bogus wages.

The councillor – nickamed the Time Lord for defying the laws of physics by being in two places at once – was forced to repay the cash.

Retired businessman Tom Gatley, who exposed the scam four years ago, said: “This councillor has walked free despite admitting dishonestly obtaining tens of thousands of pounds from taxpayers.

“His defence was that he took the money but a big boy told him that it was OK, so that makes it alright. I don’t think that justice was done.”

Williams was among five Renfrewshire councillors exposed by the Sunday Mail four years ago.

Gatley, 70, used freedom of information laws to scrutinise thousands of pages of expenses claims made by 40 Renfrewshire councillors.

It resulted in Williams being suspended by Labour and standing trial at Paisley Sheriff Court for defrauding £26,500 from Glasgow council.

When we confronted Williams in October 2006, he lied and claimed he had left Glasgow’s employment two years earlier. The truth was that he was still on the payroll at Pollok social work office and he kept his phantom job for another 14 months until he was finally sacked.

Last week the jury returned a not proven verdict following a two-week trial.

Williams admitted the time sheets were fictitious but insisted that he had an “agreement” with Bell.

Gatley said: “I think it’s perverse that an acting deputy council leader was able to systematically scam taxpayers for many years.

“It begs the questions, do any other phantom employees remain on the public payroll thanks to political protection?”