Courtesy Barrhead News
Ex-councillor Eddie Phillips pens crime thriller

By Norman Silvester
Reporter

A FORMER Barrhead councillor is joining the ranks of tartan noir writers such as Chris Brookmyre following the publication of his own crime thriller.

No One Will Hear You Scream is the second book to be released by 70-year-old Eddie Phillips, with three others in the pipeline.

Eddie, who uses the pen name EJ Goldberg Phillips, is hopeful it will be a big success, drawing as it does on his life experiences.

He took up writing after retiring from politics.

Eddie was first elected to East Renfrewshire Council as a Labour candidate in 1999 and stepped down in 2012.

During his 13 years in the role, he represented the Auchenback area of Barrhead, where he also lived with his wife and two children.

Now living in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, he spent much of his career as an official with the CPS trade , representing civil servants at the National Savings Bank, in Cowglen, Glasgow.

His time on East Renfrewshire Council also included a stint as environment convener and chair of planning.

“As a man and then a Barrhead councillor, I have over decades amassed huge numbers of sad and funny stories which I have used in the creation of the various characters in this book,” said Eddie. “Hopefully, this is the start of a new career.”

Eddie says he is influenced by crime writers such as Barrhead man Chris, as well as Val McDermid.

Chris sent him a message of support for his new book, which traces the feud between a famous author and a young reporter who discovers she holds a dark secret.

Eddie added: “Writing has given me the opportunity to indulge my imagination.

“I really need to have success with the current book to have a chance of getting other ones published.

“Writing is big challenge because most books never make any money. However, I hope to be writing for years to come. It’s what I love to do.”

No One Will Hear You Scream is available in paperback from Austin Macauley Publishers, bookshops and Amazon Kindle.

Anyone remember he was called 'Expenses Eddie'

Courtesy Barrhead News

Fury over £7k expenses

A BARRHEAD councillor has defended claiming £7k of taxpayers money by saying he is worth it.

Councillor Eddie Phillips topped the expenses table by claiming £7,151 over the past year.

He claims that 40 per cent of this is to attend conferences having attended 13 conferences last year this works out on average as £208 of Barrhead tax payers" money per event.

But Eddie, who is in various groups like COSLA, told the News that his expenses are more costly because he does more work for the town compared to the town"s other three Councillors.

He said: 'I am the busiest councillor in the area, the other councillors" remit takes up one side of A4 but mine takes up the other side.

'Regarding the £2,700 spent on conferences I didn"t see a penny of that, I have no say on what it costs in administration for conferences.

'A lot of the conferences are incredibly important in terms of networking.

'Nine months of my expenses is like one week of an MP"s.

'I think my expenses are all there open to the public, I have no problems and the public had no problems with me last year.

'Residents see me the most, they see me doing the most - you get what you pay for.' Councillor Douglas Yates, convenor for social work and health, was surprised at Councillor Phillips comments. He said: 'Eddie Phillips obviously doesn"t see my diary and my commitments.

'If anyone speaks to my wife they will know she never sees me, I spend anything between 40 and 60 hours a week as a councillor - he is not the most hard working councillor.

'An individual expense claim is something for the council to answer and that"s why we publish the expenses so that people can make their own minds up.

'I am delighted that the council showed transparency on all these things, nothing should be hidden.

'I claimed just over £3,000 for petrol, conferences and phone bills. People are entitled to know how their money is spent.'