COSLA slams Accounts Commission findings

COSLA has a slammed a new report by the Accounts Commission criticising local authorities’ pace of improvement in managing capital expenditure.

“The Accounts Commission needs to get real about the financial challenges facing Scotland’s councils and would be better turning their attention to the real problem in relation to capital investment – one year budgets from the Scottish Government,” said COSLA finance spokesperson Councillor Kevin Keenan.

“The report out from the Accounts Commission today is both inaccurate and misleading,” he said. “This is not about individual capital projects like a school being built.”

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“What they are talking about is capital investment planning for the longer term and this is something that councils were making great progress on until we had the rug pulled from under our feet from the centre.”

“How can the Accounts Commission realistically expect us to plan major capital investment programmes costing millions of pounds when we are faced, like this year, with a short-term, one-year budget from the Scottish Government.”

“I notice flood prevention has made it into the top line of the Accounts Commission press release in an attempt to grab a headline.

“Well, that is a good example because the fact remains that local government has only been given funding for the next year, indeed the Scottish Government has only presented a one year budget to the Scottish Parliament. 

“COSLA has not had any discussions with Scottish Government on funding beyond 2016/17 on flood prevention or any other funding issue.

“I presume that we must be an easier target for the Accounts Commission than the Scottish Government, but the simple fact is that we cannot plan longer term when we get money for one year and this is the major fact missing from today’s report.”   

The Accounts Commission report was a progress report on 2013 recommendations for management of capital projects.

It highlighted a need for better long-term capital investment planning, particularly regarding how capital investment contributes to strategic objectives, how projects are prioritised and the benefits the projects are expected to deliver.