City of Edinburgh Council’s use of its general fund reserves is unsustainable and will be unable to cover future economic shocks, Audit Scotland has warned.
A Scottish council has launched a 50/50 joint venture energy company with a Swedish state-owned energy firm to supply heating to a new town on the edge of Edinburgh.
A new package of funding and financing flexibilities for local authorities in Scotland will allow councils to use capital receipts to meet funding pressures.
Finance ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have expressed concerns over the financial implications the UK Internal Market Bill will have on devolved governments.
The government has guaranteed £3.7bn of additional funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help the devolved administrations plan their response to Covid-19 in the months ahead.
MSPs have launched an inquiry into Scottish local government finances aimed at working out whether Covid-19 will lead to a “new normal” in the way services are delivered.
An £80bn stimulus package is needed to regenerate the economy and reduce inequality in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Scottish Government has said.
The introduction of a citizens’ basic income in Scotland would require a “massive fiscal effort” by taxpayers to fund a substantial reduction in poverty, according to new analysis.
An additional £3bn could be lost from the coronavirus-hit Scottish economy over the next two years if an extension to the Brexit transition period is not agreed, the Scottish Government has warned.
The Scottish Government has called for greater clarity from the Treasury over coronavirus-related funding after last minute grant adjustments left it with £70m less than expected.
A “precautionary” approach to lifting the lockdown in Scotland will limit the risk of a second wave of the virus north of the border, the Scottish Government has said.
The Scottish Government might struggle to balance its budget this year because of funding uncertainty in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the nation’s official forecaster has warned.
