ScotlandCounted

Council accountability · Checked 2026-08-02

Inverclyde Council: what was promised and what happened

Inverclyde has a planned day-to-day budget of £276.6m for 2026/27 and a £4.0m gap. The council says it is using savings and other changes to close the gap. The 2024/25 audit says most planned savings were delivered, but a small amount was still outstanding.

What this means

Inverclyde Council has money coming in. It also faces £4m 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

£4m

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

£276.6m

2026/27

Audit Scotland lists a £276.6m budget for Inverclyde Council in 2026/27. This is the money planned for everyday council services.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

gap in the 2026/27 budget

Projected £4m

2026/27

The same bulletin lists a £4m gap. A gap is a the council says it must cover with savings, extra income, or other measures. It is not money already missing from a bank account.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

Approved savings listed for 2026/27

£0.6m

2026/27

Audit Scotland lists £0.6m of approved savings. This record does not assume every saving has been delivered; the final needs a later check.

Source: Local government budgets 2026/27

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.

No comparable service target has been verified for this council yet. That is a research gap, not proof that every target was met.

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 · 2026-07-09

A small part of planned savings was not delivered

Needs new evidence

The 2024/25 external audit report says Inverclyde agreed £3.4m of savings and delivered all but £0.07m. It also flags pressure in the and high financing costs.

What was recommended: Keep a clear public record of savings still outstanding and explain how each is being covered.

Source: Inverclyde Council annual audit 2024/25

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.

Show whether the 2026/27 savings were delivered

Planned

Publish the final amount saved against each 2026/27 saving and explain any service change that followed.

Owner:
Inverclyde Council
Due:
No date published

The 2026/27 budget sets out savings and other measures. A final has not been checked for this record.

Source: 2026/27 and 2027/28 Inverclyde budget and council tax agreed

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.

  • A service-by-service list of the 2026/27 savings and their final still needs to be added.
  • This starter record does not yet show council targets and actual results for homelessness, education, roads or social care.
  • The is dated. A newer follow-up source is needed before calling the outstanding savings complete or missed.
Show the 3 official sources
  1. 01
    Local government budgets 2026/27

    Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2026-06-11

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

  2. 02
    2026/27 and 2027/28 Inverclyde budget and council tax agreed

    Council · 2026-03

    The council's approved budget, council tax decision and two-year funding gap explanation.

  3. 03
    Inverclyde Council annual audit 2024/25

    Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2026-07-09

    The external audit's savings, and financial sustainability findings.

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 Inverclyde Council receive?

Inverclyde Council has £276.6m 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 Inverclyde Council 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 Inverclyde area page shows the local poverty, work and pay figures that explain why council decisions matter.