A DISPUTE involving Scottish Borders Council and one of its top officials is due to be resolved next week, theSouthern understands, writes Andrew Keddie.
Neville Dundas, head of corporate administration, was instructed to leave his office at Newtown St Boswells on March 18, the council later confirming he had been suspended on full pay.
A qualified lawyer earning in excess of £60,000 a year, Mr Dun
das, who lives in Selkirk, is responsible for all public business transacted by the local authority, advising elected members on points of law and protocol.
As the region's deputy returning officer, he is also charged with running local, Scottish and Westminster elections.
At the time of his suspension, SBC issued the following statement: "We can confirm a senior member of staff is currently on special paid leave whilst an investigation takes place into allegations surrounding the management of an internal staffing matter. This is the full extent of the investigation and there are no other allegations of any kind against this member of staff."
Mr Dundas denied the allegations and expressed the hope the internal probe "would be concluded quickly".
Five months on, Mr Dundas is declining to comment. "Any comment will have to come from SBC, but I believe there may be a resolution next week," he said on Tuesday.
When asked about the protracted investigation and its likely denouement, a council spokesperson said yesterday: "Our position remains that we cannot comment on individual staffing matters."
Mr Dundas is a respected figure on the Scottish local authority scene and he is currently president of the Society of Local Authority Lawyers and Administrators in Scotland (SOLAR).
During his enforced absence, he represented SOLAR at an major convention of his counterparts in the US and Canada, held in May in Atlanta, Georgia.
The full article contains 302 words and appears in Southern Reporter newspaper.
