Eva Bolander Explained

Eva Bolander
Office:Councillor, Glasgow City Council
Constituency:Anderston/City/Yorkhill
Anderston/City (2015–17)
Term Start:6 August 2015
Office2:Lord Provost of Glasgow
Term Start2:18 May 2017
Term End2:30 October 2019
Predecessor2:Sadie Docherty
Successor2:Philip Braat
Birth Place:Stockholm, Sweden
Party:Scottish National Party
Children:2

Eva Bolander is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. She sits as a councillor for the Anderston/City/Yorkhill ward, having first been elected in a by-election in 2015.

She was the Lord Provost of Glasgow, elected in May 2017,[1] the first member of the SNP to hold this post.

In October 2019, she came under scrutiny for spending on shoes, clothes and cosmetics. The £8,000 she spent over 28-months in office was within the £5,000 annual allowance but it was still considered excessive by some of the public.[2] The day after the figures were published, Bolander apologised, stating "Although the spending incurred was within the rules, on reflection there are items which I should not have chosen to reclaim" and stated that she would repay some of the money.[3] In the wake of the criticism over her expenses claims, Bolander resigned as Lord Provost on 30 October 2019.[4]

Personal life

Born and brought up in Stockholm, Sweden, Bolander moved to Glasgow after the accession of Sweden to the EU in 1995. She had first visited Glasgow in the 1980s, competing in the World Pipe Band Championships, visiting the city regularly and later starting a relationship with a Scot which led her to relocate permanently.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Glasgow's new Lord Provost Eva Bolander was elected today at a meeting of the full council.pic.twitter.com/lHuUrnJfk4. Glasgow City Council. 18 May 2017. @GlasgowCC. en. 2018-02-28.
  2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49971577 Lord Provost of Glasgow claimed 23 pairs of shoes on expenses
  3. https://stv.tv/amp/1441451-glasgow-lord-provost-apologises-for-expenses-claims/ Lord Provost apologises over £8000 clothing expenses bill
  4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-50243192 Glasgow Lord Provost Eva Bolander resigns after expenses row
  5. Web site: Eva Bolander — Once a visiting piper from Sweden, now Glasgow's Lord Provost. The National. 27 May 2017. 2018-02-28.