The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know. Like a mantra, I repeat these famous lines (Socrates, Einstein) in my head every time I need to Google, “What does the Scottish Government actually do?”.
I find myself again in this position as I followed last week’s coverage of the 25th anniversary celebrations at Holyrood. Free prescriptions at the point of use for all residents in 2011? Amazing. Free university tuition in 2007, after the SNP came to power? I was lucky to benefit from this, but the latest Herald investigation series revealed that the Scottish Government’s current funding model is unsustainable. Referendum on independence and continued push for it? I knew that, at least.
The Scottish Parliament was introduced in 1999 to devolve powers from Westminster and give greater autonomy to Scots. But these days it seems like every attempt at meaningful public sector conversation is turned into a Three Spiderman Pointing meme starring a council, the Scottish Government and the UK Government. More often than not, Holyrood is just another dealer to pass the buckshot to in the high stakes game of UK politics. And a lot of the time their decisions hamstring local councils by placing demands on them without the cash to back it up.
A new report published by Audit Scotland revealed that the 32 local councils are facing a budget gap of at least £585 million, expected to rise to £780 million by 2026/27. Urgent transformation is needed to prevent local services across the country from crumbling. But Scottish Government demands are one of the significant barriers to reform. Ring-fenced........