The Scottish Fiscal Commission is due to publish economic and fiscal forecasts today. With so much uncertainty, making those predictions will be a difficult task. Alan Bermingham explains why.
Scottish councils have turned a corner in their revenue funding allocation from the Scottish Government, with a small increase reversing a trend of decline in recent years, analysis has revealed.
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.
Welfare reform has had a substantial impact on the Scottish housing sector, with the introduction of universal credit pushing up rent arrears for social tenants, according to a report from the...
Despite a torrid first five years, Police Scotland is well positioned to balance its books and deliver improved policing to the public, according to chief finance officer James Gray.
A new publicly owned bank is to invest £2bn over the next decade to make Scotland’s economy fairer and more prosperous, the Scottish Government has said.
More than £1bn is to be invested annually in early learning and childcare across Scotland under a landmark deal struck between councils and the Scottish Government.
The number of Scots seeking help to pay for food and heating from a crisis fund has increased, with one in eight applications due to a delay in the payment of benefits, according to the Scottish...
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.
The impact of a no-deal Brexit on migration and productivity would cause more damage to the Scottish economy in the long term than the immediate shock to trade, according to the Scottish Government’s...
The Scottish Government faces a “huge and highly complex” challenge as it prepares to take on new financial and social security powers, auditors have warned.
Scotland benefits from a diversity of opinion on its economic future, even when these predictions appear contradictory, according to the body responsible for producing the nation’s economic and...
Growth in tax revenue would likely be wiped out by the highest earners taking action to reduce their liabilities, analysis from the Scottish Government’s independent budget advisers has said.
The latest analysis of Scottish local government finances has shown that education and social work accounted for the bulk of council spending last financial year.
Scottish councils have called for greater certainty over local government funding in the future to allow them to deal with long term pressures such as pay.
It will be difficult to achieve the Scottish Government’s ambition for a huge expansion in early learning and childcare by the end of the decade, auditors have warned.
Scottish finance secretary Derek Mackay has defended the financial settlement for local government as his spending plans came under increased scrutiny by MSPs.