Council whistleblowing procedures will be revamped following the intervention of a Mearns politician.
Aberdeenshire’s local authority will update its policy after concerns were raised by SNP councillor Leigh Wilson.
Although the whistleblowing procedure had been last revised in 2017, the council was unable to identify how many cases were raised because no central record had been compiled.
Mr Wilson asked if officers could investigate the possibility of implementing a system where a record of all cases could be held centrally and action will now be taken to this end.
He said: “I am pleased to see that a central record of all cases will be held in the future because firstly we need to have knowledge of how many instances there are, and secondly the reassurance that they are dealt with appropriately.
“Whistleblowing is something which has gained greater prominence over recent years and it is essential that staff have the ability to hold their employer to account, and to do so in a way that is both safe and secure.”
The council policy provides comprehensive guidance to staff on the raising of such issues and the process involved.
Although a record of all cases is to be created and fed by through the annual fraud report, Mr Wilson stressed that this would not impact on the confidentiality of the whistleblower should they wish to remain anonymous.
“I have had concerns raised with me in my ward from employees – not council employees, I’d stress – who are having difficulties at their place of work but don’t feel they can speak out,” he said.
“No one should suffer in silence and that’s why as an organisation it’s important we take the right steps to make sure no local authority employee feels that way.”
The refresh follows a recent update to the council’s bullying and harassment guidance in order to augur with the modern, digital environment.
The Council’s Zero Tolerance approach was formed in 2009 and there has been recognition that the pace of digital change outstripped the pace of some of the council’s policies.
Anne MacDonald, from Audit Scotland, said: “There will be a central register in the first instance and, from there, we’d feed into an annual report.
“While the specific details of the cases will remain confidential, there is a wider scope for looking at how lessons can be learned from the cases.
“Any cases in the council have thus far been dealt with by individual services but I think they should be brought together so that any crossover and lessons learned can come in the annual report.”
