Accounts Commission

As Scotland's local councils face acute challenges, with budgets and workforce stretched to the limit, reform has become increasingly urgent, warns Audit Scotland's Accounts Commission.

Malcolm Bell, member of the Accounts Commission, discusses the challenges facing local councils in Scotland, including financial pressures, increasing demand, and the need for transformation in service delivery, and how they can be addressed through effective leadership, collaboration, and community

As Scotland's councils are increasingly faced with tough budget decisions, the role of the chief financial officer (CFO) is critical in ensuring financial sustainability and stability in local government, writes Jo Armstrong – chair of Audit Scotland's Accounts Commission. Our Spring budget br

Jo Armstrong has been appointed as the new chair of the Accounts Commission. Ronnie Hinds, who has been acting as interim chair of the Accounts Commission since May 2023, is stepping down at the end of January.

Orkney Islands Council has been told it must shift its focus to ensuring its services remain financially sustainable, as it faces a significant funding gap of £27 million over the next four years. In a new report, the Accounts Commission highlighted that Orkney Islands Council faces parti

The minister for local government, empowerment and planning, Joe Fitzpatrick MSP, unveiled a series of appointments to the Accounts Commission for Scotland, the public body entrusted with overseeing the performance and expenditure of local councils, joint boards, and integration joint boards across

Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission have published their latest report on the public sector gender pay gap setting out to highlight good practice and areas where further action is needed.

Malcolm Bell, Nichola Brown, Jennifer Henderson and Ruth MacLeod have been appointed as members of the Accounts Commission. The new members were confirmed by Ben Macpherson MSP, minister for social security and local government.

Helena Gray has been appointed the new Controller of Audit, leading on the reporting of issues from the audits of local government in Scotland to the Accounts Commission. She joins from the Scottish Government, where she has been the interim director of Fair Work, Employability and Skills since Apri

Glasgow City Council has successfully delivered a challenging project to finance £500 million in equal pay claims. A report by the Accounts Commission, Scotland’s local authority watchdog, found that the council developed and demonstrated good governance arrangements throughout a complex

City deals have been positive for Scotland's economy but the Scottish Government does not have a plan to measure their overall long-term success, according to a report by the Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland. The public spending watchdogs said city region and growth deals have enabled economic

Most of Scotland’s 32 councils are increasingly relying on money from reserves to keep up with demand for services and balance their budgets, with financial pressures likely to get worse, according to the Accounts Commission. A report today from the local government watchdog found that while d

Robust financial planning has put Perth and Kinross Council in a good position to tackle a projected budget shortfall of £52 million over the next five years but it must continue to drive forward improvements, the Accounts Commission said today.