Most of Scotland’s 32 councils are increasingly relying on money from reserves to keep up with demand for services and balance their budgets.

A report today from the Accounts Commission, Scotland’s national watchdog for local government, says the financial pressures are likely to get worse. Demand for services continues to grow, funding for councils from the Scottish Government has reduced by 7.6 per cent since 2013/14 and is forecast to reduce further.

Key questions around the delay to the opening of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People remain unanswered, says the public spending watchdog.

The Auditor General for Scotland says the reviews to date have been unable to establish a number of issues, including:

A major ICT project at Disclosure Scotland, which provides criminal history checks for employers, was delivered 18 months late and at more than twice the original budget.

A report from the Auditor General for Scotland says there were significant failings in control and oversight for the new PASS system, which aims to improve processing of disclosure checks. In 2015 the Scottish Government approved a budget of £34 million. The project cost has now risen to an estimated £78 million.

The public body for promoting Gaelic must address a range of concerns from a lack of openness to poor relationships and organisational culture.

A report today from the Auditor General highlights a wide range of issues raised by the external auditor over the last year. Issues identified included:

Greater clarity is needed around the core functions and finances of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) so that it can build a modern and financially stable police service.

A report today from the Auditor General highlights some progress over the last year amid a raft of new appointments to Police Scotland, including a new chief constable and three deputies, and seven new members to the SPA Board.

NHS Highland must focus on making significant and long-term changes in order to deal with its complex and ongoing problems.

In a report to the Scottish Parliament, Auditor General for Scotland Caroline Gardner said she had concerns about the NHS board’s capacity to make the urgent and major changes required, given its significant and long-standing problems and track record in addressing these issues.

NHS Tayside has begun to show improvements in financial management and governance, but the board still faces substantial long-term financial and operational challenges.
In a report to the Scottish Parliament, Auditor General for Scotland Caroline Gardner said NHS Tayside has been in an unsustainable financial position since 2013. The board will need continued financial assistance until 2021/22 to balance its budget.