Scotland

  • Public Finance
    19 Feb 04
    Scottish councils have criticised the 'prescriptive' manner in which funds intended to crack down on antisocial behaviour have been divided up.
  • Public Finance
    19 Feb 04
    Moray Council in north-east Scotland has been warned to take rapid steps to improve its schools after recording one of the worst ratings ever awarded by school inspectors.
  • Public Finance
    19 Feb 04
    Details of an inquiry into local government finance in Scotland are likely to be announced by the Scottish Executive within a few weeks.
  • Public Finance
    19 Feb 04
    The Standards Commission for Scotland, set up almost a year ago to investigate allegations of misconduct against councillors and members of public bodies, has launched its first investigation.
  • Public Finance
    12 Feb 04
    Scottish councils have told ministers they are entitled to the entire £47m that is Scotland's share of the extra expenditure recently allocated for the UK by Chancellor Gordon Brown.
  • Public Finance
    12 Feb 04
    A leading teaching union has hit out at radical plans to overhaul school inspections and reduce the notice period to 48 hours as a 'move too far'.
  • Public Finance
    12 Feb 04
    Spending per head in Scotland has increased, despite expectations that the Barnett Formula would bring funding convergence across the UK, a Scottish Parliament committee was told this week.
  • Public Finance
    5 Feb 04
    Scottish local authority leaders this week defended a proposal that councillors should receive a basic annual salary of £25,000 about half the amount paid to members of the Scottish Parliament.
  • Public Finance
    5 Feb 04
    The Department for Education and Skills has admitted that it plans to cut up to 800 jobs as part of an efficiency review that is likely to have repercussions across other Whitehall departments.
  • Public Finance
    29 Jan 04
    Devolution's greatest test will be when public spending comes under increased pressure, an influential think-tank warned this week.
  • Public Finance
    22 Jan 04
    Councils in Scotland are still struggling to cut rent arrears and are owed £28.5m 7.4% of the income they were due last year, the Accounts Commission said this week.
  • Public Finance
    22 Jan 04
    Plans to introduce proportional representation for Scottish local government could add £6m to the administration of elections and other costs, senior officials have estimated.
  • Public Finance
    15 Jan 04
    The Scottish Executive has recruited a senior business figure to advise it on improving public services.
  • Public Finance
    15 Jan 04
    More than £550m worth of council tax in Scotland remains unpaid, although the collection rate has improved, the Accounts Commission has found.
  • Public Finance
    8 Jan 04
    Auditor general Bob Black has criticised the Scottish Parliament for shortcomings and weaknesses in its system of internal financial controls.
  • Public Finance
    8 Jan 04
    Local government employers want an end to the traditional annual pay talks in favour of multi-year deals, with both English and Scottish councils looking for two-and three-year packages.
  • Public Finance
    8 Jan 04
    A wide-ranging overhaul of the civil service in Scotland, including the recruitment of leading figures from business, is planned by First Minister Jack McConnell.
  • Public Finance
    18 Dec 03
    Council tax bills in Scotland are set to rise by an average of about 4.5%, after the local government funding settlement announced this week by Finance and Public Services Minister Andy Kerr.
  • Public Finance
    18 Dec 03
    The amount Scotland receives from the Treasury to make up for a shortfall in tax income has increased to £8bn, according to the Scottish Executive's latest assessment of the country's finances.
  • Public Finance
    11 Dec 03
    A former chief executive of the North of Scotland Water Authority, Katharine Bryan, is to be the new chief executive of the Northern Ireland Water Service.
  • Public Finance
    11 Dec 03
    The government has shown it is more interested in finance than patients by appointing a former banker as the independent regulator of foundation trusts, according to a leading critic of the...
  • Public Finance
    11 Dec 03
    The economic development agency Scottish Enterprise (SE) has been criticised by auditor general Bob Black for the way it used outside consultants and contractors.
  • Public Finance
    4 Dec 03
    Audit Scotland is to appoint a managing director of audit services, a new post that has been created as part of a major reorganisation, it was disclosed this week.
  • Public Finance
    4 Dec 03
    A former Conservative minister who was responsible for implementing the poll tax in Scotland has admitted that it was a 'great political mistake'.
  • Public Finance
    4 Dec 03
    Devolution is here to stay and is likely to continue to evolve throughout the UK, according to one of the principal architects of the Scottish Executive.

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