ScotlandCounted

Council accountability · Checked 2026-08-02

East Ayrshire: what was promised and what happened

The most clearly linked review says East Ayrshire was performing well, with improving services and strong partnerships. That review is older, so the current page marks the latest service and finance position as needing a fresh check.

What this means

East Ayrshire has money coming in. It also faces £9.5m in the published forecast. No result has been checked for this record yet. is shown separately from the council’s own figures.

This page keeps difficult findings visible without turning a forecast, a target or a count into something it does not mean. Open the source links when you want the full detail.

Words with a dotted underline have a quick explanation. Hover or tap them.

The headline

Three things to know

If you only read one part, read this. The detailed figures and official source links come after it.

See the evidence

Money is tight

£9.5m

published forecast

The council says it still needs to find this much. It is not money already missing from the bank.

Targets missed

not checked yet

There is no checked service target in this record yet.

Still unanswered

3

things to check

We show what the public evidence does not answer yet, instead of guessing.

Follow the money

What the published figures say

A is not the same thing as money left to spend. A is money the council says it still needs to find, not a bill already unpaid. A number is a forecast. An is what really happened after the year ended. pays for everyday services. A pays for big, long-term things.

Money planned for everyday council services

£460.2m

2026/27

Audit Scotland lists a planned budget of £460.2m for East Ayrshire's everyday services in 2026/27. This is a plan, not the final amount spent.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

in the 2026/27 budget

Projected £9.5m

2026/27 budget setting

At the time of setting its budget, East Ayrshire reported a gap of £9.5m. A gap is a the council planned to cover with measures; it is not money already missing from a bank account.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

Savings written into the budget

£3.5m

2026/27

The budget lists £3.5m of approved savings. This record does not assume that every saving has been delivered; the final needs a later check.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

Other ways the budget is being balanced

£6.1m

2026/27

The budget lists another £6.1m of measures. Audit Scotland says this can include council tax, extra income, and other actions, so it is not all a cut to services.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

Scottish Government

Projected £322.3m

2025/26

For context, the Scottish Government's 2025/26 table lists £322.3m for East Ayrshire. This is a , not proof of what the council finally spent.

Source: £15 billion for councils

The missing evidence

What we still do not know about services

A is what the council promised. The reported result is what happened. We keep them side by side and flag it when the two figures cannot be compared fairly.

Red means the source says a target was missed or a matter is still open. Green means the target was met or the action is marked complete. Grey means there is not enough evidence for a firm result.

Council finance

A council budget can be compared with its final

Needs new evidence

Target

A like-for-like council service result

Reported result

The Scottish Government has published the underlying finance publication, but this starter record has not yet extracted this council's service rows.

Period: 2025/26 outturn and 2026/27 estimate

This is a clear data gap, not a claim that the council met or missed a . The next update should compare the approved budget with the for each service.

Source: Local Government 2025-26 Provisional Outturn and 2026-27 Budget Estimates

Outside checks

What the auditors found

These are checks by people outside the council: Audit Scotland, the Accounts Commission and the Scottish Housing Regulator. An is a point they recorded after checking the books or how a service works. is the formal name for one of those checks. It is not a gold star for every service.

Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2018-05-29

Assurance Report: East Ayrshire Council

Needs new evidence

The review said East Ayrshire was performing well, services were improving and partnership working was strong. It is an older review and does not prove the council's current performance.

What was recommended: A current and service-outcome update should be linked before this record is used to judge today's performance.

Source: Best Value Assurance Report: East Ayrshire Council

What your council said it would do

Promises and deadlines

A is something the council said it would do. We look for a date, an owner and later proof. Saying it in a plan is not the same as finishing it.

No council commitment with a published deadline has been added to this record yet.

What we still do not know

This is a first, source-complete record, not a claim that every council decision is covered. These gaps stay visible so the page cannot pretend to know more than the evidence supports.

  • The linked evidence is from 2018 and needs a current update.
  • The current council budget, savings plan and service targets are not yet extracted.
  • No current negative claim is made until a fresh primary-source check is complete.
Show the 4 official sources
  1. 01
    Local government budgets 2026/27

    Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2026-06-11

    The , , approved savings and other budget measures reported by each council for 2026/27.

  2. 02
    £15 billion for councils

    Scottish Government · 2024-12-12

    The 2025/26 local government settlement table, including each council's allocation and year-on-year change.

  3. 03
    Local Government 2025-26 Provisional Outturn and 2026-27 Budget Estimates

    Scottish Government · 2026-07-24

    The publication that contains the council finance and budget-estimate data. Service-level comparisons have not yet been extracted into these starter records.

  4. 04
    Best Value Assurance Report: East Ayrshire Council

    Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2018-05-29

    The older review's positive findings and the fact that they cannot be treated as a current result.

Council officers and elected members can send corrections or a response through the contact page. Confirmed changes will be dated and recorded here.

Straight answers

Questions people ask

How much money does East Ayrshire receive?

East Ayrshire has £460.2m listed under Money planned for everyday council services for 2026/27. It is a budget or allocation, not proof of the final amount spent, and the other figures on this page are kept separate.

Has East Ayrshire missed any targets?

No service-target result has been verified for this record yet.

Does this page prove that a councillor is personally responsible?

No. It records what the council, its officers, auditors and regulators published. It does not assign an individual motive or blame without a separate documented decision trail.

See the poverty figures alongside this record

The East Ayrshire area page shows the local poverty, work and pay figures that explain why council decisions matter.