Aberdeen’s Lord Provost has defended his predecessor’s £43,896 expenses in the House of Lords after he came under fierce criticism – citing his role in bringing the oil and gas industry to the north-east.
The city’s former provost Lord Kirkhill was the highest claiming peer in the Lords- despite last making a speech in 2013.
The 87-year-old Labour life peer was Lord Provost of Aberdeen from 1971 to 1975 and Minister of State for Scotland from 8 August 1975 to 15 December 1978.
Political opponents rounded on him yesterday as a “couch potato peer”, while SNP Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart said the sum showed the Lords was “rotten to the core” and should be abolished.
But last night current Lord Provost Barney Crockett said the criticism was unfair.
Mr Crockett, an Aberdeen Labour councillor, said: “Lord Kirkhill is an extremely hard working but low profile peer.
“There are many ways to serve apart from making speeches and it is important to remember that he is a peer from the north of Scotland so much of his expenses will be on air travel.
“You can’t say that Scotland needs more representation in the Lords without giving them the budget for travel.
“What people don’t realise is how key he was to bringing the oil industry to the city instead of Dundee as had been planned originally.”