Accounts Commission

Scotland's councils must plug a £529 million hole in their day-to-day budgets for 2026/27, roughly 3% of their total revenue funding, even after raising council tax by nearly 8% and drawing up £180m in savings plans, the Accounts Commission has warned.

Angus Council has strong leadership and a focus on collaboration and improvement, according to the latest report completed by the Accounts Commission. The report said the council is clear about its current and future financial challenges, with increasing service demands and rising costs. It is worki

Scotland’s councils need greater ambition to redesign services, with financial pressures growing and demand continuing to rise, a new report by the Accounts Commission has concluded.

Continued collaboration is needed at Aberdeenshire Council to address an £81 million budget gap over the coming years, the Accounts Commission has warned. The council has clear priorities, but it must address current and future financial challenges, including undelivered savings.

Urgent action is needed by Shetland Islands Council to address a £134.3 million projected budget gap by 2029/30, the Accounts Commission has warned.

The Accounts Commission has called on Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), together with their NHS and council partners, to urgently make decisions on where to redesign, reduce or discontinue services.

Whilst councils have made significant savings, the cost of delivering services is rising faster than available funding and risks the financial sustainability of councils over the next three to five years, the Accounts Commission has said today.

North Lanarkshire Council is focused on improving its residents’ lives and has strong foundations to make the major changes it needs to tackle tightening finances.

An Accounts Commission report on the finances and performance of North Ayrshire Council has praised the local authority for ‘thinking big’ as it looks to the future, with a focus on improving services, reducing poverty and inequality, and proactively tackling a projected £47 milli

Whilst some public bodies and councils are working well together to tackle flooding, they face gaps in leadership, skills and data, and there is uncertainty about funding, according to a new joint report from the Auditor General for Scotland and Accounts Commission on flooding in communities.

Scotland’s councils urgently need to make progress with workforce plans if they are to protect services and financial sustainability, according to a new report from the Accounts Commission. Staff are councils’ most important resource. They are vital in delivering services and meeting Sco

East Lothian Council must enact significant reforms to its public services as it contends with the dual pressures of rapidly growing younger and older populations and a looming £46 million budget shortfall, the Accounts Commission has warned.

Scotland’s communities are facing a growing disconnect between what they expect from public services and what local authorities can realistically deliver, as the financial strain on councils intensifies, a new report has concluded.

An ambitious plan to improve transport, roads and buildings, as well as a greater shift to using digital to deliver services, has the potential to transform the Highland Council’s services over the next 20 years. Delivering its capital programme could prove challenging. Borrowing costs are hig

Argyll and Bute Council has a real opportunity to harness a long-standing culture of innovation as it looks to close a funding gap of nearly £29 million, rethink how services are delivered and ensure it has a stable workforce, the Accounts Commission said today.