Please see below three linked but separate briefings about Scottish government’s direction of travel in the face of a growing gap between projections about the money they expect to get and the money they expect to spend.
In short
Over the next few years unless they change either their spending priorities or the tax system the Scottish Government is looking at a shortfall running into billions – and Scotgov aren’t minded to do either.
Instead, they intend to fill the gap through public sector reform and economic growth
REDUCING THE PUBLIC SECTOR WORKFORCE – annual targets for the next five years
OUTSOURCING SERVICES – primarily to the third sector
AUTOMATING SERVICES – the view is that anything they don’t class as frontline should be being cut
ECONOMIC GROWTH – if this doesn’t deliver then more savings will be required from the public sector reform programme.
Scotgov intentions are laid out in the Public Sector Reform Strategy, The Medium-term Financial Strategy & the Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan
The Briefings are up on the UNISON Scotland website now – Links are below
They don’t make for particularly cheery reading – but it is essential that we bring this to the attention of all UNISON members.
Stirling UNISON 