After a career spanning nearly 50 years and covering academia, the civil service, local government, consultancy, and voluntary work, Bill now describes himself as a ‘Lad o’ Pairts’! He retired, formally, in 2005 as CEO of Comhairle nan Eilan Siar (Western Isles Council) and led the review of the then Scottish Executive’s budgets published in 2007.
Bill served as adviser to the New Lanark Office on Local Government Reform and has also advised the SP Local Government and Regeneration committee several times. He provided consultancy services to several councils and a range of private sector firms. He was chair, then President, of Volunteer Scotland and also chaired Forth Sector until 2016.
Bill originally studied Economics and Econometrics – which he can still spell – at Strathclyde. After teaching for 5 years he joined the Planning Exchange in Glasgow and began his interest in New Lanark. He kept ‘bumping into’ New Lanark when he continued his career in the civil service, in particular, when chair of EU Structural Fund committees that awarded several important grants for the renovation of the site in the mid nineties.
Bill is ‘Clyde-built’ – originally from Greenock – and relishes the chance to play some part in the Story of New Lanark. He watched the New Lanark community and site regenerate literally from ‘the scrap heap’ and hopes his contribution as chair will help it’ thrive and prosper’.
