Probe into East Dunbartonshire Council and Celtic deal almost at an end

Audit Scotland received a number of complaints, believed to have been about whether the £8.5 million training centre, built in 2007, has been good value for money for local people.

A spokesman said this week auditors were now in the process of considering their findings.

The council is said to have paid the football giants a considerable sum over the past year and a half to allow members of the public limited access to the training ground.

The centre, in the grounds of the former Lennox Castle Hospital, is only available to the public on limited occasions - once a week and at times over the summer.

The deal was originally set up by the Lennoxtown Initiative, a non-profit body made up of the NHS and the local authority.

The watchdog is examining a paper trail between the club, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the council over the state-of-the-art facility.

Both the council and the health board said in a report in the Herald in May that they were happy to provide information and co-operate with any investigation.

A spokesman for Audit Scotland said this week: “We can confirm the auditors have now finished their fieldwork and are now in the process of considering their findings.

“Once they have completed their report, we will be able to advise of our conclusions.”