Claim John Swinney stayed at Peter Mandelson's residence is Mostly True
The first minister has been criticised online for staying with Mandelson on a trip to the US last year. We looked at the truth behind the claims.
Are Councils Working?
14 articles
Corran ferry: Community councils say issues causing depopulation
Six Highland community councils have united to pressure the local authority to fix long standing issues at a ferry crossing
Council to urge Scottish Government to boost community planning appeal rights
Edinburgh councillors have voted unanimously to give local communities more power to appeal planning decisions – a move campaigners argue would
Scottish Government overturned 4 in 10 planning appeals last year
The Scottish Government has been accused of “stripping powers away” from councils after overturning four in ten planning decisions that
The FFS Show 33: Are Councils Working?
Sam and Ali are back with a special podcast about our latest ‘Are Councils Working?’ series in conjunction with The
Critics call for reform of Scotland’s local authorities
Decentralisation of power from Holyrood, full devolution of local taxes and directly elected mayors are among the proposals made by
More than £1bn awarded to private firms by councils
Scottish councils have awarded contracts worth more than £1bn to private companies since 2015, The Ferret can reveal. The firms
Councillors not guaranteed maternity leave despite Scottish Government promises
Councillors are working without basic legal protections such as the right to paid maternity and family leave – even though the
Women councillors faced sexual harassment, abuse and racism
Women who served as councillors across Scotland have faced threats of violence, racist abuse, and sexual harassment during their time
Glasgow spent ten million on agency cleansing workers
Glasgow City Council has spent almost £10m on agency workers to empty bins and deal with recycling in the last
Future ‘bleak’ as council data reveals neighbourhood cutbacks
New figures have laid bare staffing reductions in neighbourhood services in the last five years leading to cuts in parks,
Scottish councils pay ‘eye-watering’ sums of interest to UK treasury
Interest payments on historic loans taken out from the UK treasury have cost Scotland’s councils over £400m in the
Councils pay millions to media and marketing firms
Scotland’s councils have been accused of spending funds that could have been used for staff pay and public services