Next Scottish government faces ‘really difficult’ spending choices, economists say

Holyrood, where the SNP government has been accused of consistently spending more money than it has received from its core sources of funding. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA

The next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said.

Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge.