Views wanted on how Scottish Budget can address cost-of-living crisis

The public are being asked for views on how the Scottish Government should respond to the cost-of-living crisis in next year’s Budget.

Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee have launched an inquiry which will look at how surging costs could impact on tax and spending plans for 2023-24.

Convener Kenneth Gibson appealed for both individual members of the public and organisations to get in touch with their views.

He said: “The next Scottish Budget will be challenging as the current cost-of-living crisis impacts on Scotland.

“The committee is therefore keen to hear from organisations and individuals how the Scottish Government’s Budget in 2023-24 should respond to this crisis.”

With the inquiry also due to consider if public sector reforms will deliver the efficiencies expected, he added: “We also want to hear views on how the Government’s proposed reform of the public service will support its future spending plans.

“Using the Government’s resource spending review announced in May, we will focus our pre-Budget scrutiny on the proposals for reforming the public service, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the Scottish Budget, and how spending priorities might affect the delivery of national outcomes.”