OSCR has advised Keep Scotland Beautiful to review its recruitment processes, but said that the charity did not break the law by hiring the chief executive’s wife.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) opened an inquiry and met with trustees of the charity, after a complaint was made about the appointment of the chief executive’s wife, Catherine Gee, to the new role of head of corporate services. The matter was brought to light at the end of 2012 by the Sunday Herald, and MSP John Wilson raised the matter in the Scottish Parliament.

Having completed its inquiry, OSCR concluded that: “We are satisfied that the sift and interview process was satisfactory. However, we consider that restricting the recruitment process to internal candidates only could be considered to be a failure in that process, given the personal relationship which exists between the CEO and the sole applicant for the post.”

It recommends that Keep Scotland Beautiful reviews its recruitment process "to ensure openness and transparency in all future recruitment exercises".

OSCR has also suggested that the charity develop a staff handbook and include within it a policy for handling conflicts of interest.

John Frater, the charity's company secretary, said: "OSCR has informed Keep Scotland Beautiful that they found no evidence of the charity trustees acting outwith [beyond] the legislation. OSCR also made some recommendations for the future, which KSB has welcomed and is actioning."