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.
local authorities
15 articles
Claim Labour and Conservatives formed alliances in councils is Half True
An image alleging that Labour and the Conservatives have formed alliances in Scotland’s councils has been shared across social
Councils spent £200m on profit-making residential care providers for children and young people
Scottish councils have given up to £200m to private firms to provide residential care for children and young people, despite
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
Pretty vacant: Local authorities and tax havens own hundreds of empty properties
Local authorities own over 1,100 vacant properties in Scotland’s cities while real estate investors, tax haven firms and
Weed killer linked to cancer still used by every Scots council
Every Scottish council is still spraying a weed killer linked to cancer and biodiversity loss, with new figures obtained by
Council contracts with debt collectors worth up to £20m
Local authorities have been accused of issuing “escalating threats” to people behind on their council tax, after The Ferret found
FFS explains: What powers do councils have?
Scotland’s council elections are approaching, with voters across the country set to cast their ballots. Many parties have campaigned
Thousands of disabled people left in unsuitable housing
Hayden* says he is exhausted. Since 2019, he’s been fighting to get a ramp installed to enter his home.
Parents can still face thousands in nursery fees when deferring school for four-year-olds
Parents are calling for an end to the postcode lottery that sees some forced to pay thousands of pounds in
Councils failing to tackle climate crisis, says report
Plans by Scottish local authorities to cut carbon pollution are “deeply insufficient” and will cause Scotland to keep missing climate
Ban private firms from auditing Scotland’s public spending, urges report
The Scottish Government should ban private firms from auditing local authorities’ accounts as their involvement is an obstacle to transparency
Covid cash cover-up prompts call for transparency probe
Emails revealing that the Scottish Government and councils are working together to block the release of information on billions of