Solidarity, Scotland’s Socialist Movement have called on the Scottish Executive to end it’s cosy relationship with big business following moves to increase the influence of business in running devolved Government.

Permanent Secretary Sir John Elvidge announced that he was abolishing the Executive's 14-strong management group and setting up a new, eight-member Strategic Board, to run the service but has only cut civil servants from the Board, leaving all of the appointed business representatives in place as Non-Executive Directors (NEDs).

Rosemary Byrne MSP, Co-Convenor of Scotland’s fastest growing party condemned the move.

“Once again we see an undue level of influence from business interests and an accent on running public bodies as businesses. I call on the Executive to end this cosy relationship and appoint trade union representatives from the public sector unions and the STUC to replace the fat cats.”

The three NEDs are David Fisher, HR Director of HBoS, who last week gave guests at a champagne reception free Fortnum and Mason hampers while Farepak victims protested outside; Corporate Lobbyist, Shonaig Macpherson; and Bill Bound, a former senior partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who was formerly employed by Ronald Reagan’s Administration in the USA.