A company has been ringing homes falsely claiming that Audit Scotland has instructed them to inspect and fix loft insulation.

These calls are not legitimate. Audit Scotland does not and would not have any involvement in such work, and we have no association with the company making these calls.

Alison Cumming has been appointed Executive Director of Performance Audit and Best Value at Audit Scotland, leading our high profile programme of national reports.

Alison has significant experience in leadership and policy in the public sector, ranging from tax policy to health finance to early learning and childcare, as well as being a chartered accountant and formerly an auditor. She is currently the Director of Budget and Public Spending at the Scottish Government.

Alison said:

Scotland’s councils faced a collective gap of up to £585 million between the money needed to deliver services and the money available when setting their budgets this year. This is estimated to increase to £780 million by 2026/27. Ever tougher decisions must be made to ensure councils are financially sustainable.

Councils are addressing this most commonly by making ongoing savings, using reserves and raising money through charging citizens for some services.

Falkirk Council has made significant improvements over the last two years to how it works. Now it must focus on tackling a £62 million budget gap.

In a new report, the Accounts Commission highlights improvements in how the council works together, in setting a clear vision and driving forward progress in educational attainment and reducing inequalities.