Money is tight
£17.8m
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
North Ayrshire Council: what was promised and what happened
North Ayrshire has a listed 2026/27 day-to-day budget of £486.1m and a £17.8m gap. Its 2024/25 audit recorded a £17m underspend against the budget. An underspend does not prove that services worked well, so the final result needs to be shown beside service results.
What this means
North Ayrshire Council has money coming in. It also faces £17.8m 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
£486.1m
2026/27
Audit Scotland lists a £486.1m budget for North Ayrshire 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 £17.8m
2026/27
The same bulletin lists a £17.8m 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
£0.2m
2026/27
Audit Scotland lists £0.2m 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 · 2025-09-26
The council underspent its 2024/25 budget
The 2024/25 audit report records a £17m underspend against the council's budget. It also says the release of 85 staff delivered about £2.5m. These figures need to be read with service performance, not treated as proof that every service met its target.
What was recommended: Explain, in plain language, where the underspend came from and what happened to the services and people affected.
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 what the savings changed
PlannedLink each major saving to the service change, target and result so residents can see what the money achieved.
- Owner:
- North Ayrshire Council
- Due:
- No date published
The audit records savings and an underspend, but this starter record does not yet have a service-by-service explanation.
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.
- North Ayrshire's signed budget paper gives a different base-budget measure from the Audit Scotland bulletin. The two totals should be reconciled before presenting them as one number.
- An underspend can come from delayed work, lower demand, or savings. The detailed is needed before drawing a conclusion.
- Service targets and actual results for poverty, housing, education and social care are still missing.
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.
- 02North Ayrshire Council sets its 2026/27 budget
Council · 2026
The council's budget decision, council tax increase and Scottish Government grant change.
- 03North Ayrshire Council annual audit 2024/25
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2025-09-26
The 2024/25 , workforce saving and 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 North Ayrshire Council receive?
North Ayrshire Council has £486.1m 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 North Ayrshire 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 North Ayrshire area page shows the local poverty, work and pay figures that explain why council decisions matter.
One simple next step