A FORMER college principal was urged to pay back part of a huge severance payment yesterday which breached guidelines set down by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

The public audit committee branded former Coatbridge College chief John Doyle’s £304,000 payoff an “appalling abuse of the public purse” and urged him to pay back the proportion which is above SFC guidelines.

Auditor General for Scotland Caroline Gardner said the payment represented “serious failures” which must be drawn to the attention of the Scottish Parliament and the public.