The legislative blueprint for a second Scottish independence referendum, procedurally similar to the vote that rejected independence 55-45 two years ago, is published today by the Scottish Government.
An enabling Bill to pave the way for a second referendum on Scottish independence is to be published at Holyrood next week, first minister Nicola Sturgeon told today’s opening session of the...
CIPFA has called on the Scottish Government to create a framework for managing devolved taxes that would provide transparency in its plans for revenue raising.
Councils have urged Scottish Government ministers not to marginalise local government in running Scotland’s schools, warning that any centralisation of provision would lead to increased costs and...
A £500m investment boost for the Scottish economy, more cash for education and health alongside plans for public services reform have been set out by Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon today.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has brought the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence markedly closer, with the launch of “the biggest listening exercise” in her party...
Scotland’s public finances ended 2015-16 almost £15bn in deficit thanks to a massive slump in the North Sea revenues, according to the latest figures produced by the Scottish Government.
Four councils that broke away last year from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities are threatening the Scottish Government with legal action over its insistence that it will negotiate only...
Scotland’s first minister has today unveiled what is billed as a post-Brexit economic stimulus package, bringing forward £100m of planned infrastructure spend into the current year and...
A conflict is brewing between the Scottish Government and local authorities over ministers’ plan to fund a key plank of its national education policy from increases in local taxation.
The Scottish Welfare Fund, which provides support to individuals and families in financial need, has been underspent for a third successive year, prompting fears about how effective Scotland’s...
Scotland’s auditor general has said she intends to keep a close eye on the Scottish government’s highly controversial plan to allocate every child in Scotland a public sector “named person” from...
Scotland should use the devolution of powers over tax and social security as an opportunity to create a single government department to run both systems, an independent think-tank has proposed.
A new Scottish social security agency, an education reform summit, and a 50-50 gender balance law for public boards are among the priorities for the Scottish National Party’s third term in government...
John Swinney’s nine-year stewardship of Scotland’s public finances has ended, after first minister Nicola Sturgeon shifted him to the politically sensitive education portfolio in a major...
The finance and economy briefs in the Scottish Cabinet, combined since 2007 under John Swinney, are to be separated at the outset of the new Holyrood Parliament, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon...
CIPFA is warning the incoming Scottish Government that it will need a rolling programme of reform in financial planning and service delivery if it is to turn its new fiscal powers into the better...
The Scottish National Party’s proposal to reform rather than scrap the council tax would still bring about a significant shift in the burden from the poorest households to the wealthiest, according...
First minister Nicola Sturgeon is coming under mounting pressure in the Holyrood election campaign over a £10bn outline investment deal she signed with a Chinese consortium, after corruption...
George Osborne’s decision to raise the threshold for the higher 40p rate of income tax will not be followed in Scotland if the Scottish National Party wins May’s Holyrood election, first...
The collapse in oil prices helped drive up the notional deficit in Scotland’s public finances to almost twice the UK level in 2014/15, according to the annual Government Expenditure...
In the face of a tight spending settlement, Scottish councils are preparing plans for service cuts and council tax rises. The future of local government funding is therefore set to be one of the big...
Finance Secretary John Swinney has set Scotland’s 32 local authorities a deadline of 2 February to decide whether or not to accept a financial settlement he hopes will underpin a further year of the...
