Scotland

The race for Holyrood concludes this week when, on 5th May, voters decide the make-up of the next Scottish Parliament. While politicians compete with new spending pledges, we know that the next five years will be a reality check for devolution. Budgets are falling and the proposals on offer so far – bolder efficiency savings and a public sector pay freeze – won't plug the gap. Nor would the Green Party proposal to use the so-called tartan tax, levying an extra 0.5p on basic rate income tax, get us there. So manifesto commitments offer only a sketchy guide to what will actually happen.

Scotland's strategy for reshaping care for older people came out yesterday. It promises a better future for older people in Scotland.

Granted, we are a few weeks away from elections and the race is on to woo the grey vote. All the same, it would be a shame not to mark such a significant and long-awaited announcement.

Our recent report on delivering affordable housing in Scotland looks at how the Scottish Government may tackle the issue of facilitating affordable housing supply within an age of austere housing budgets and stagnant housing markets.

The Scottish Finance Minister has presented his draft Budget to Holyrood, outlining how the Scottish Government plans to deal with a £1.3bn cut in spending next year. Opposition MSPs moved quickly from scrutiny of where the cuts would fall, to unite in criticising it as a deal for only one year. Although we know the likely amount of the grant from Westminster over the next four years, we will have to wait until after next May’s election to take a longer view.

Those of you in Scotland may have raised an eyebrow this week if you had read the media reports claiming Scotland was the most affluent country in Britain. Really? The recession is biting hard, factories have closed and gloomy projections are made on public spending cuts in the years ahead. Austerity not affluence is grabbing the headlines. So what is this about?