Apprenticeship funding was top of the agenda for ACCA in a recent priorities letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. Ahead of the Scottish Budget in January 2026, ACCA, which has 11,000 members and students in Scotland employs over 600 at its global operations centre in Glasgow, has outlined it
Scottish Government
Scotland’s marine economy has generated £5.6 billion in approximate gross value added (aGVA) in 2023, according to the Scottish Government. Representing 3% of the total Scottish economy, the sector supports 75,900 jobs.
Up to 460 new jobs are expected to be created at the Grangemouth industrial cluster and surrounding area, thanks to £8.5 million new Scottish Government funding. Following the allocation of £1.5m of Scottish Government’s Grangemouth Just Transition Funding to Scottish biotech compa
Celtic Renewables, the breakthrough Scottish green chemicals firm, has secured £6.23 million in new funding from the Scottish Government to scale its business producing green chemicals made from by-products and waste from the food and drink industry. Celtic Renewables will put the funding towa
Leaders from fourteen of Scotland’s most prominent retailers have united to urge the Scottish Government to introduce a permanent business rate discount. Organised by the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), the group has written to Finance Secretary Shona Robison MSP, warning that failure to act
NHS Scotland has failed to meet improvement commitments despite receiving record levels of funding and staffing, according to a new report by the Auditor General. Health spending in 2024/25 was over £20 billion – a £3bn real terms increase from 2019 and 25% higher than a decade ago
The Resource Management Association Scotland (RMAS) and sustainable resource management company Brewster Brothers have jointly called on the Scottish Government to ensure that the forthcoming Scottish Aggregates Tax becomes a powerful fiscal lever to accelerate decarbonisation across Scotland’
The Scottish Government has revealed plans to sell approximately £1.5 billion of its own bonds, nicknamed "kilts", starting in the 2026-27 financial year. The announcement by First Minister John Swinney follows rating agencies Moody's and S&P assigning Scotland an investment-grade credit r
Slower growth in earnings and employment compared with the rest of the UK is weakening the impact of devolved taxes on Holyrood's budget. The Scottish Government's budget has been boosted by over £4 billion since the introduction of devolved taxes in 2015/16. But that figure is significantly l
A new report on Scotland’s International Strategy highlights that Scottish Government efforts to promote the nation abroad have been integral to securing record export sales, inward investment, and tourism growth. The annual report, launched by External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson, detai
The Scottish Government is advancing plans to re-establish a direct ferry route between Scotland and Europe, linking Rosyth to Dunkirk. Agriculture and Connectivity Minister Jim Fairlie has instructed officials to prepare a consultation on the new service.
Ahsan Mustafa discusses the key reforms introduced by The Charities Accounts (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025, including modernised accounting thresholds, new safety dispensations for security risks, and alignment with UK reporting standards. The Scottish Government has introduced a major refor
The income threshold requiring a full audit for Scottish charities is set to double from £500,000 to £1 million, significantly reducing the administrative and financial burden on the sector. Secondary legislation has been laid in the Scottish Parliament which, if approved by MSPs, will t
Kenny Craig of Begbies Traynor has been appointed as trustee in Sequestration of the estate of the late Alex Salmond following an application to the Accountant in Bankruptcy made by Moira Salmond, in her capacity as executrix. The winding up of the former First Minister’s estate will include t
The Scottish Government recorded a £1 billion underspend in 2024/25 but still needs to move away from short-term measures to address a stark forecast gap between its spending plans and funding, according to Audit Scotland. The watchdog's 2024/25 audit of the Scottish Government's Consolidated

