A £90,000-a-year head of a publicly funded leisure body has been fired after a row over how a staff grievance was handled.

Gerry Campbell was dismissed as general manager of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) amid a controversy that also led to the body’s chair quitting. However, it is understood Campbell is appealing against the decision.

SLLC is responsible for the region’s country parks, outdoor recreation, libraries, cultural activities and sports facilities.

Run by a charitable trust funded by South Lanarkshire council, SLLC has annual attendance figures of over 8.5 million and employs more than 1000 staff.

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In December, our sister publication, The Herald on Sunday reported that Campbell had been suspended over the way in which a grievance had been dealt with.

A source said an employee raised a grievance against management, but it had not been handled it properly. The insider said the local authority’s human resources and legal teams should have been involved, but were not.

It is understood the woman who lodged the grievance had also wanted the council, not SLLC, to lead on the matter. A hearing led to Campbell being dismissed.

Councillor David Watson, who represents East Kilbride West, was an SNP representative and chair of the arms-length body, but he quit his post and the SNP group last year.

A local newspaper reported that there had been an internal dispute between Watson and council officials, as well as SNP group office bearers, on how the staffing issues should have been addressed.

He said at the time: “Pressure was put on me to resign from the board of SLLC by SNP Group office-bearers and, sadly, the pressures of these demands left me with no option but to take the reluctant decision to resign from the board and also resign from the SNP council group due to the threatening and demanding attitude of the office bearers.

“I was happy to take this matter to a specially convened SLLC board meeting. But, for some reason, council SNP office bearers did not want this to happen”.

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Joe Fagan, a Labour councillor on the local authority, said: "South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture has been at the centre of controversy following the resignation of its chair last year. There has to be clarity and transparency about the Trust's governance, direction and future."

The council declined to comment.