Reading Time: 6 minutesA post outlining key aspects of the Scottish planning appeal process.
Author: SPICe
The Reset in the UK-EU trading relationship – Evolution not revolution
Reading Time: 7 minutesAhead of the UK-EU summit on 19 May 2025, this blog examines what might come from the summit in terms of proposals to take the trading relationship forward
Scotland’s Housing Emergency – one year on
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt’s a year since the Scottish Parliament agreed to a Scottish Labour motion declaring a national “housing emergency” in Scotland. A previous SPICe blog considered
Labour market update: May 2025
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSources: UK Labour Market: May 2025 and Labour market in the regions of the UK: May 2025 For constituency-level labour market statistics, please visit the labour market in
Second homes in Scotland – facts, figures and policy
Reading Time: 6 minutesThis blog considers the number of second homes in Scotland and the policy measures that affect them (and provides an update to a previous blog
The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill – what happened at Stage 1 and Stage 2?
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 20 April 2023. This blog provides a brief, non-exhaustive summary of some of the main
The Final Countdown to election 2026: Programme for Government 2025-26 – Building the Best Future for Scotland
Reading Time: 26 minutesThis extended, long-read blogpost provides a summary of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2025-26 and highlights areas that are likely to be of particular interest to MSPs and the Parliament over the next year.
Assimilated law reform and the Scottish Government’s EU alignment policy
Reading Time: 6 minutesHow do changes that are being made to retained EU law relate to the Scottish Government’s EU alignment policy?
Assimilated EU law reform: Where does Scotland stand in early 2025?
Reading Time: 4 minutesA look at recent updates from the UK and Scottish Governments on changes that are being made to retained EU law.
Guest Blog: Opening Up Scrutiny – Reflections on Creativity, Collaboration, and Evidence in The Scottish Parliament
Reading Time: 7 minutesThis guest blog sets out the findings of a SPICe fellowship project with Dr Cara Broadley, Glasgow School of Art, who used an immersive Participation Action Research approach to explore how creative, participatory and visual approaches can enhance public involvement and the effectiveness of evidence in scrutiny. Cara’s full research report is embedded and downloadable from this blog.