Forbes: Scotland needs to be 'canny with our spending'

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has warned Scotland needs to be “canny with our spending”, ahead of the publication of the Resource Spending Review this afternoon.

Speaking ahead of her statement to parliament, the Forbes said: “The Resource Spending Review - which is not a budget - will set out how we can best focus Scotland’s public finances in the coming years to tackle child poverty, address the climate crisis, strengthen our public sector as Scotland recovers from Covid, and grow a stronger, fairer and greener economy.

“We are living in unprecedented times, when it is necessary to be canny with our spending, and the Scottish Government is no different. Within our resources and current powers we have to make sure we are doing the best for households and businesses, in the midst of Covid recovery, a war which is affecting the global economy, and the cost of living crisis. This review gives broad parameters for spending over the next four years and sets out areas we want to engage with partners on to deliver the reforms necessary for Scotland to deal with the challenges ahead.

“While we face challenges, this does not mean we cannot achieve our ambitions of a fairer, greener and more prosperous society if we are prepared to make the difficult decisions now which will bring about the changes needed to achieve this.”

Forbes will also publish the annual Medium Term Financial Strategy and a targeted review of the Government’s capital spending programme.