Significant sums of public money are at risk as financial controls within councils come under increasing strain, according to the public spending watchdog for Scottish local government.
Kate Forbes is clear it is time to ensure there is money to invest in public services, even though this will not be an easy task. The Scottish finance minister talks to Kerry Lorimer.
Public finance professionals have a vital role to play in building trust and resilience, the Scottish Government public finance minister has told CIPFA members.
The business case behind the creation of Scotland’s single police service was not robust, according to a parliamentary report, which has identified “systematic problems” facing the force.
Scottish councils could face further financial pressure as a result of fiscal devolution north of the border, according to the public spending watchdog for local government.
The assignation of VAT revenues to the Scottish Government could expose the Scottish budget to risk because of the difficulty in producing robust estimates, tax experts have warned.
A warning has been sounded over Scotland’s public finances as new figures show tax revenues will be undermined by sluggish wage growth north of the border.
The Scottish budget has passed its final parliamentary hurdle as MSPs backed measures that will see the tax gap widen between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
A no-deal Brexit risks pushing Scotland into recession, doubling unemployment and creating a “major dislocation” to the economy, according to the Scottish Government’s chief economist.
A proposal which will see increasing divergence in income tax rates between Scotland and the rest of the UK has been given the green light by the Scottish Parliament.
Auditor general for Scotland Caroline Gardner asks whether public mistrust of auditors has grown recently, with the collapse of firms such as BHS and Carillion.
The success of the planned £2bn Scottish National Investment Bank could be undermined by inadequate capitalisation and vulnerability to political interference, the Scottish Government has been warned.
Improvement in some council services is starting to slow for the first time in almost a decade against a backdrop of declining public satisfaction, according to the latest overview of local...
Westminster has “picked the pocket of the health service” in Scotland, after NHS funding granted under the Barnett formula was £55m lower than promised, according to a committee of MSPs.
The Scottish finance secretary has defended his planned settlement for local government while stressing he is “open minded” to giving councils greater fiscal autonomy.
A no-deal Brexit could cause lasting damage to demand and supply in the economy, with productivity at particular risk from reduced migration, leading economists have warned.
An overhaul of Scottish economic and social policy will be needed in the face of global automation, which threatens a third of jobs by 2030, a leading think-tank has claimed.