Auditors have raised concerns over value for money and lack of transparency in the Scottish government’s use of privately financed contracts to fund investment in public infrastructure.
Scottish councils have been warned to think carefully before opting to deliver services through arm’s-length bodies, in a report from a public spending watchdog.
Devolving control over all taxes, rates, fees and charges would equip local authorities to meet financial challenges head on, says Alison Payne of Reform Scotland.
The need for Scottish councils to find savings is “increasingly critical” against a backdrop of reduced funding and rising demand for services, the Scotland’s public spending watchdog has said.
Scotland’s local authority spending watchdog has rolled out a new kind of audit, designed to give the public clearer and more systematic assurance about the progress their councils are making...
Scotland’s local government watchdog has reiterated concerns about the finances of East Dunbartonshire Council and warned the authority is not on schedule to make the £27.6m in savings it needs in...
Scotland’s municipal spending watchdog has praised the financial management of the country’s local authorities over the past year, but warned them of a bleak future of shrinking budgets...
Unprecedented pressures lie ahead for Scottish local government finances, and councils need effective long-term plans to prepare for them, the Accounts Commission for Scotland warns today in its...
The new chair of Scotland’s local government spending watchdog has told the country’s 32 councils they will have to be more innovative and open-minded about service delivery to meet renewed budgetary...
