Money is tight
£20.7m
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
South Ayrshire Council: what was promised and what happened
South Ayrshire balanced its 2024/25 accounts by using £4.586m of . Audit Scotland said only 56% of the planned was spent and warned that the medium-term gap still had no full funding plan. The 2026/27 budget shows another £20.7m gap before measures.
What this means
South Ayrshire Council has money coming in. It also faces £20.7m 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
4
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
£398.1m
2026/27 budget
Audit Scotland reports a budget of £398.1m for South Ayrshire Council in 2026/27. This is the council's main day-to-day pot for services. It is a budget, not the final amount spent.
Source: Local government budgets 2026/27
before measures
Projected £20.7m
2026/27 budget setting
When the budget was set, South Ayrshire Council reported a £20.7m gap before its other measures were counted. This is a forecast at budget time, not money already missing from a bank account.
Source: Local government budgets 2026/27
Approved savings in the budget
£9.4m
2026/27
The budget lists £9.4m of approved savings. Savings can mean service changes, staff changes or other reductions; this record does not assume what each one means without the council's individual papers.
Source: Local government budgets 2026/27
Other measures used in the budget
£11.3m
2026/27
The council listed another £11.3m 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
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
were used to balance the year
The council operated within budget in 2024/25, but £4.586m of was used to do it. Audit Scotland said can only be spent once and that the unearmarked balance was below the council's own 2% to 4% policy range.
What was recommended: Set out how uncommitted will be rebuilt and how the medium-term will be filled.
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2025-09
Only 56% of the original was delivered
Audit Scotland reported that capital spending reached 56% of the original budget in 2024/25. It said the council needs to improve delivery or make the programme more realistic.
What was recommended: Improve delivery of the and explain clearly when projects move or change.
2 findings remain marked open in this record. That is a status from the source, not a claim that nothing has changed since publication.
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.
Rebuild and close the medium-term gap
Needs new evidenceIdentify savings and work that can close the medium-term gap without relying on one-off .
- Owner:
- The council and its senior officers
- Due:
- 2029-30
Audit Scotland recorded a gap of £32.9m to 2029/30 in the 2025/26 update, with a later revised projection of £26.2m. A fresh is needed to check the position now.
Deliver the or reset it openly
Needs new evidenceImprove delivery of capital projects, or publish a more realistic programme when work cannot be delivered as planned.
- Owner:
- The council and its senior officers
- Due:
- Not published
The audit made the issue clear but did not publish a later delivery result in the source used here.
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 2026/27 budget numbers are council returns in Audit Scotland's bulletin, not the final audited accounts.
- The audit said 52% of national indicators improved or stayed the same and 40% declined. This record does not yet list the individual services behind those percentages.
- The 2024/25 audit report records a discontinued Spaceport project and a £3.279m accounting adjustment. A separate project history would be needed before drawing wider conclusions about value for money.
- The current status of reserve rebuilding, savings and capital delivery needs newer council papers.
Show the 2 official sources
- 01Local government budgets 2026/27
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2026-06-11
The , the identified when the 2026/27 budget was set, approved savings and other measures. Audit Scotland says these figures come from council data returns and should be compared with care because councils describe gaps and measures in different ways.
- 02South Ayrshire Council 2024/25 Annual Audit Report
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2025-09
The audit's findings on reserve use, capital spending, council tax, the medium-term gap and performance indicators.
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 South Ayrshire Council receive?
South Ayrshire Council has £398.1m listed under Money planned for everyday council services for 2026/27 budget. It is a budget or allocation, not proof of the final amount spent, and the other figures on this page are kept separate.
Has South 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 South Ayrshire area page shows the local poverty, work and pay figures that explain why council decisions matter.
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