Audit Scotland

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We're now in the pre-election period.Our social media activity is restricted until after the Scottish Parliament electio...
26/03/2026

We're now in the pre-election period.

Our social media activity is restricted until after the Scottish Parliament election on Thursday 7 May 2026.

25/03/2026

Aberdeenshire Council is well-run, many services in the area are improving and challenges created by its geography and ageing population are embedded in the council’s plans.

The Accounts Commission’s latest report however highlights an £81 million budget gap which the council will need to address over the coming years. This is amongst the largest in Scotland.

It should now build on its strong community engagement to deliver the significant changes needed to ensure services are sustainable into the future.

Alongside local partners, the council is working to address significant financial and service pressures across local health and social care services. But with a growing older population, the council and its partners now need to drive forward significant change to ensure it can continue to deliver local services in an affordable way.

Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/Aberdeenshire_Council

Aberdeenshire Council COSLA Community Councils Scotland Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action

05/03/2026

Do you live on the Shetland Islands? The Accounts Commission has just published its latest report looking at how your council is doing.

It says Shetland Islands Council is facing a significant budget gap and can’t continue to draw on reserves to balance its budget. This will impact future generations if not addressed.

While services in the area are strong, there is concern about the pace at which the council is delivering its change programme. The council’s also been slower than other councils in adopting digital technology to support staff and help deliver services.

Read the report in full here: https://bit.ly/Shetland_Islands

COSLA Community Councils Scotland Association of Shetland Community Councils

26/02/2026

The Accounts Commission's latest report says the cost of delivering health and social care services and demand for them are rising faster than available funding.

Integration Joint Boards plan health and social care services. They, together with their NHS and council partners, must urgently take decisions on where to redesign, reduce or discontinue services.

Whatever decisions are made, service users, their families and wider communities must be consulted.

Watch the video below and read the full report here: https://bit.ly/IJBs_2024-25

Community Councils Scotland COSLA Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland Healthcare Improvement Scotland Scottish Care

05/02/2026

The Auditor General says he’s concerned about the Scottish Public Pensions Agency’s (SPPA) capacity to deliver outstanding remedy statements by the extended timescales.

In 2018 it was judged that reforms to UK public sector pensions had involved age discrimination, therefore the SPPA had a legal obligation to recalculate pension options for the Police, Fire, NHS, and Teachers schemes it administers in Scotland, and issue ‘remedy’ statements. But it didn’t meet the 1 April 2025 statutory deadline. Around 50,000 retired scheme members are waiting to hear if they are due higher pension payments.

Overly ambitious revised targets created an impression of progress to scheme members that did not fully account for the scale and complexity of the work involved.

The SPPA is now working towards a revised deadline. However, progress remains slow and it remains unclear if it will meet its revised timescales.

More in the report here: https://bit.ly/SPPA_2024-25

29/01/2026

Whilst councils have made significant savings, the cost of delivering services and demand are rising faster than available funding.

The Accounts Commission’s new report says this is already impacting services. Some services are being cut or are harder to access and there are growing levels of dissatisfaction from communities.

Scottish Government funding to councils has been increasing, but this hasn’t kept pace with rising costs and demand.

Now councils must fundamentally rethink how they operate and deliver services.

Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/LG_finances_2425

22/01/2026

Policing in Scotland is well managed and led, and a lot has been achieved since the reform of the service in 2013.

Now policing must deliver the next stage of reform and and make the best use of its resources.

It has been slow to modernise. Workforce planning remains underdeveloped. And there’s no evidence that 16,500 police officers and around 5,900 police staff are the right numbers to deliver an effective police service for the future.

Find the full report from the Auditor General and HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, here: https://bit.ly/Policing_BV

Do you live in the North Lanarkshire area?The Accounts Commission’s new report on North Lanarkshire Council says it is c...
15/01/2026

Do you live in the North Lanarkshire area?

The Accounts Commission’s new report on North Lanarkshire Council says it is committed to improving local residents’ lives and investing in the local economy.

The council has some of the best performing housing and homelessness services in Scotland. And there’s a strong focus on working with partner organisations. This includes work across health and social care and creating opportunities for young people in the area to learn and develop their careers.

But satisfaction with council services continues to decline and there are clear challenges ahead.

North Lanarkshire Council faces a growing budget gap of nearly £137 million over the next five years. The Commission says the council has strong foundations to make the major changes it needs to tackle tightening finances.

Jo Armstrong, Chair of the Accounts Commission said: ‘Change is vital to secure services for the future. The council must focus on where limited resources are best spent, understanding the impact of investment and change on service performance, satisfaction rates and whether these changes are improving the lives of local people.'

Read the report in full here: https://bit.ly/North_Lan_Council

Community Councils Scotland COSLA

08/01/2026

People medically ready to leave spent 720,000 unnecessary days in hospital in 2024/25. Today’s joint report from the Auditor General and Accounts Commission says delayed discharges are a sign of wider challenges in health and social care.

Delayed discharges affect people’s physical and mental health, and make it harder to admit others to hospital. The cost to the NHS in hospital days alone is an estimated £440 million a year.

The Scottish Government, health bodies, councils and other partner organisations agree on the need for major changes and are actively trying to reduce delayed discharges. But better evaluation is needed to know if current initiatives are working.

Find the full report and an easy read summary, here: https://bit.ly/delayed_discharges

Give yourself the best possible beginning to your career by joining our school or college leaver programme.You don't nee...
18/12/2025

Give yourself the best possible beginning to your career by joining our school or college leaver programme.

You don't need to have come straight from school or college to apply. No matter what your background, it’s designed to develop your skills and expertise in audit and provide formal training and study towards a professional accountancy qualification over the five-year programme.

If you're looking for a world-class business career that offers prestige, respect, great prospects and excellent financial rewards, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with us is the perfect place to start. For this reason, we've created a tailored pay and benefits package which will give you plenty of opportunity to develop your career.

All our trainees spend a significant amount of their time working as financial auditors and you may also get the opportunity to be involved in performance audit work. You will gain valuable skills in auditing Scotland’s councils, health boards, central government bodies and colleges.

If you’re looking for application hints and tips, take a look here: https://bit.ly/School_or_College_Leaver_applications_tips

And if you’re ready to apply, visit: https://bit.ly/School_or_College_Leaver_2026_applications

Applications are open until 18 January 2026.

NHS Scotland has more money and more staff. And health boards have made unprecedented savings. But the health service ha...
04/12/2025

NHS Scotland has more money and more staff. And health boards have made unprecedented savings. But the health service hasn’t improved in line with commitments made by the Scottish Government, and it remains financially unsustainable.

While waiting times and lists are reducing, they’re still very high. It will be extremely challenging to eradicate long waits by the spring of 2026.

Ministers have plans to reform and improve services. But a lot of the government’s ambitions are longstanding, and yet to be delivered.

This time round, it’s vital that the Scottish Government delivers on its plans to reform the NHS.

Read the Auditor General’s annual overview of the NHS here: https://bit.ly/NHS_Scotland_25

And you can find an easy read version via the link above.

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