Tag: westminster

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The longest gap in reporting ever since the series began in 2017! – Lack of financial transparency from UK government continues under Labour

johnrobertson834

‘In the absence of timely Block Grant Transparency releases, Barnett consequentials are hard to reproduce’ – Scottish Fiscal Commission in evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee (January 2025) By stewartb What’s happening to ‘transparency’ after c.14 months of this British Labour Party government in Westminster? Any ‘change’, any ‘new direction’? None to date it seems in terms of transparency over how the Barnett formula is applied. The Scottish Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has recently (July 16) published a report entitled ‘The financing of the Scottish Government’. (See https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/48818/documents/256455/default/ ) The issue of transparency over how Westminster’s so … Continue reading The longest gap in reporting ever since the series began in 2017! – Lack of financial transparency from UK government continues under Labour

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Rail fares to go up by shocking 21% more in England than in Scotland despite far fewer views like this

johnrobertson834

Professor John Robertson OBA, Travel Correspondent BBC Scotland this morning, on various cost-of-living increases in the next few days felt the need to remind us that Scotrail fares had gone up ‘nearly 4%.’ That was 3.8% on 31 January 2025. Back then, they had also felt the need to tell us all this: Opposition parties said the price rise would “hammer” passengers who would be “dismayed” at having to pay more despite regular disruption to rail services. Scottish Labour’s transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said the price increase would “hammer” rail passengers and “consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline”. She … Continue reading Rail fares to go up by shocking 21% more in England than in Scotland despite far fewer views like this