SCOTLAND
Public sector workforce will have to shrink - Shona Robison

26th November 2023

Shona Robison said staffing for Scotland's public services would have to be reduced

Scotland's public sector workforce will have to shrink due to funding pressure, the finance secretary has said.

Shona Robison said there was "no doubt" that staffing for services would have to be reduced due to tight budgets and inflation-driven pay deals.

But she said areas like health would be protected and ministers wanted to avoid compulsory redundancies.

Ms Robison is expected to give more detail of reforms to services in next month's Scottish budget.

Speaking on the BBC's The Sunday Show, Ms Robison said the chancellor's Autumn Statement had put more pressure on her spending plans.

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