Trish Godman

Patricia "Trish" Godman (born 31 October 1939, Govan, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish Labour politician. She was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for West Renfrewshire constituency from the Scottish Parliament general election, 1999 until her retirement in 2011.

Before entering the Scottish Parliament Godman was a Glasgow City councillor and before that she was a social worker working in the East End of Glasgow from 1979-89. After leaving St Gerard's Senior Secondary School, Glasgow, aged 15, she worked with a charity for some time, as a waitress, in a bar, insurance collector and a house mother in a list 'D' school. She later attended Jordanhill College where she trained as a social worker. From 2003-11 she was a Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.

Personal life

Her husband is Norman Godman, who was a Member of Parliament for Greenock and Inverclyde and its predecessor seat from 1983 to 2001. Gary Mulgrew, one of the NatWest Three, is her son.

Controversy

Expenses Claim

While acting as the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, she charged the taxpayer around £30,000 for hotel bills although she was actually renting a flat from her son Gary Mulgrew.

She did not qualify for the rental expenses allowance as her main residence in Glasgow was too close to Holyrood to qualify. She was entitled to an overnight expenses allowance that permitted MSPs to recoup expenses for each night. In 2005, she had the biggest hotel bill of...
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