As with all guest blogs on SPICe Spotlight, what follows are the views of the author, Brian Hills, Head of Data at The Data Lab
Apples and oranges? Why it’s difficult to compare Scottish and English local government funding
The Financial Scrutiny Unit is often asked to make Scotland vs England comparisons on various financial measures. When it comes to local government, comparing the
Electoral Reform
As the 2016 joint interim report on electoral law produced by the Law Commissions in the UK showed, the legislation governing elections is extremely complicated and
Financial Transactions: ‘real’ money?
In recent years, the Scottish Government has received substantial sums from the UK Government known as ‘Financial Transactions’ (FTs). To date, the Scottish Government has
Budget 2018-19 – final allocations to local authorities
At the beginning of February I shared an update to the local government finance settlement at Stage 1 of the Budget Bill 2018-19. The figures
Scottish Lobbying Register goes live on Monday 12 March
Lobbying has a long and controversial history. For some, lobbying is synonymous with corruption, impropriety and an imbalance of power between big business interests and