Money is tight
£5m
published forecast
The council says it still needs to find this much. It is not money already missing from the bank.
Council accountability · Checked 2026-08-02
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar): what was promised and what happened
Na h-Eileanan Siar plans £140.8m for day-to-day services in 2026/27 and has a £5.0m gap. The council says it balanced the budget with council tax, and savings. An audit found that a 2023 cyber attack caused long disruption and that some recovery work was still under way.
What this means
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) has money coming in. It also faces £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.
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
£140.8m
2026/27
Audit Scotland lists a £140.8m budget for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 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 £5m
2026/27
The same bulletin lists a £5m 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
£0.4m
2026/27
Audit Scotland lists £0.4m 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 · 2025-11-27
A cyber attack caused long disruption to services
Audit Scotland says the 2023 cyber attack caused severe and prolonged disruption and the near-total loss of server data. It says business-continuity plans did not expect an attack of this size and some services were still recovering or clearing backlogs two years later.
What was recommended: Finish the outstanding cyber recommendations and publish realistic dates for the work that is still open.
Source: Cyber attack affecting operations and services: the 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
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.
Finish the cyber security improvements
In progressComplete the remaining work to protect council systems and keep essential services running during an emergency.
- Owner:
- Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
- Due:
- No date published
The audit says some recommendations were still outstanding. This record does not claim that the council has completed them.
Source: Cyber attack affecting operations and services: the 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
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 is a planning figure. A final 2026/27 is needed before comparing it with what was actually spent.
- The cyber audit gives a national summary. A council action list with each open recommendation and date still needs to be added.
- No local service targets and actual results have been checked yet.
Show the 3 official sources
- 01Local government budgets 2026/27
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2026-06-11
The , reported 2026/27 , approved savings and other measures for each council.
- 02Comhairle nan Eilean Siar budget 2026/27
Council · 2026
The council's initial deficit and the tax, and savings used to balance its 2026/27 budget.
- 03Cyber attack affecting operations and services: the 2023/24 audit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2025-11-27
The impact of the 2023 cyber attack, the continuity-planning weaknesses and the open cyber recommendations.
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 Na h-Eileanan Siar (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) receive?
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) has £140.8m 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 Na h-Eileanan Siar (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) 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 Na h-Eileanan Siar area page shows the local poverty, work and pay figures that explain why council decisions matter.
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