Scotland
Watchdog warning over Moray's funding gap
Moray Council must act quickly to shore up its finances, Audit Scotland has warned.
National care service overhaul fails to charm councils
Councils in Scotland remain unconvinced by proposals to create a national care service.
Scottish Budget 'not good' for communities
Next year’s Scottish Budget is ‘not good’ for communities, council leaders have said.
Regulator calls for 'substantial' planning intervention
The planning system requires ‘substantial intervention’ by the Government to ensure consistent delivery of new homes, a major study has concluded.
Council rejects tax freeze offer
Argyll and Bute Council has become the first to reject the Scottish Government’s council tax freeze.
Scottish council leaders call for £45m boost
Scottish council leaders have called for the £45m Barnett consequentials from a £600m boost to the English finance settlement to be passed to them.
Scottish devolution: Time to re-boot
It’s time for an informed debate in Scotland on the next stage of the devolution journey, says George Thorley.
Scotland’s homelessness system 'at risk of failure'
Scotland’s homelessness system is on the brink of collapse, according to the country’s housing watchdog.
Council leaders demand right to set tax levels
Local authority leaders in Scotland have renewed their fight to set their own council taxes – despite the pledge of a freeze by first minister Humza Yousaf.
Scots councils face 'difficult decisions' over budgets
Scotland’s councils need to ‘innovate at pace’ and make ‘difficult decisions about cuts to services’ to remain financially sustainable, a report by spending watchdogs has warned.
Accounts Commission highlights ‘strong leadership’ at Dumfries and Galloway
An Accounts Commission report has praised Dumfries and Galloway Council’s leadership and finances – but it needs to keep local residents better informed on local services.
Edinburgh chief executive to retire
The chief executive of Edinburgh City Council has announced that he is to retire.
Scots Gov should not mark own report card
The Scottish Parliament should appoint an independent external organisation to validate the National Performance Framework and regain faith in the system of assessment. George Thorley explains.
Council tax freeze to cost £156m
Scottish councils face a real terms cut of up to £156m next year as a result of the council tax freeze, new research has found.
Scottish finance settlement 'is not enough'
The Scottish Government has said councils will receive the equivalent of a 5% council tax increase next year.
Council tax freeze costs Scottish Government £300m
Fully funding local authorities for Scotland’s council tax freeze contributes significantly to the £1.5bn shortfall facing the country’s government, experts have warned.
One in four Scottish councils have doubts over budgets
One in four Scottish councils fear they will be unable to balance their 2024-25 budgets, a new Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) Scotland survey has found.
Scots make bumpy start – but will England follow the plan?
As the relationship between Scottish councils, unions and Holyrood ministers remains tense as they move towards a National Care Service, the idea continues to be mooted in England. Paul Marinko reports.
COSLA ramps up Budget lobbying
Well-funded councils are the key to unlocking the potential within Scotland’s communities, town hall leaders have claimed ahead of the country’s budget later this month.
'Critical' to maintain progress, Dundee told
A finance watchdog has said Dundee City Council is ‘well-run’ but ‘long-standing difficulties remain’ to be tackled in its improvement journey.