The Scottish Government is “firefighting” through considerable financial challenges as it battles the cost-of-living crisis and the demand for improved pay deals, the Finance and Public Administration Committee has stated.
Its report on Deputy First Minister John Swinney's 2023/24 budget in December urged ministers to focus on striking the right balance between responding to the immediate financial pressures of high inflation and the cost crisis and addressing longer-term fiscal concerns.
The committee also called for clarity on how the Scottish Government will deliver public service reform and from where in the public sector it intends to make reductions in headcount to pre-pandemic levels.
