Money is tight
£11.4m
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
Stirling Council: what was promised and what happened
Stirling approved a balanced 2026/27 budget, but says it faces a £37.2m gap over the next five years. Audit work also found that its new finance and HR system cost more resources than planned, and that the council had not shown the effect of hybrid working on sickness absence.
What this means
Stirling Council has money coming in. It also faces £11.4m 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.
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
£323m
2026/27 budget
Audit Scotland reports a budget of £323m for Stirling 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 £11.4m
2026/27 budget setting
When the budget was set, Stirling Council reported a £11.4m 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
£5.5m
2026/27
The budget lists £5.5m 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
£6m
2026/27
The council listed another £6m 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 · 2025-04-07
The new finance and HR system used more time and money than planned
The review said the ERP system implementation had significant cost and resource overruns compared with its original business case. The council had a stabilisation plan in place, but the report said further benefits still had to be realised.
What was recommended: Track the remaining costs, benefits and service improvements from the system in public reports.
Source: Stirling Council Best Value thematic work 2023/24: workforce innovation
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2025-04-07
The effect of hybrid working on sickness absence was not shown
The auditor said Stirling had tested hybrid working, but had not demonstrated whether it changed sickness absence. The report records absence above the national average, with stress and musculoskeletal problems the main recorded reasons.
What was recommended: Publish evidence on absence, staff wellbeing and service performance as the workforce plan changes.
Source: Stirling Council Best Value thematic work 2023/24: workforce innovation
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 the benefits of the new finance system
Needs new evidenceUse the stabilisation plan to show whether the ERP system delivers the promised workforce and service benefits.
- Owner:
- The council and its senior officers
- Due:
- Not published
The audit records a stabilisation plan but not a completed benefits report.
Source: Stirling Council Best Value thematic work 2023/24: workforce innovation
Join workforce, and financial plans
Needs new evidenceDevelop a People Strategy that links workforce capacity and skills to the plan and .
- Owner:
- The council and its senior officers
- Due:
- 2026-03
The audit set March 2026 as a target date. A later published review is needed before calling this complete.
Source: Stirling Council Best Value thematic work 2023/24: workforce innovation
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 figures are council returns collected by Audit Scotland; they are not final audited accounts.
- The source covers workforce innovation in 2023/24, not every council service or the final 2025/26 position.
- The council's published £37.2m five-year gap is a forecast and includes assumptions about future savings and investment.
- No current table or individual councillor decision trail is included yet.
Show the 3 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.
- 02Stirling Council approves 2026/27 budget
Stirling Council · 2026-02-26
The council's approved 2026/27 budget and its published five-year .
- 03Stirling Council Best Value thematic work 2023/24: workforce innovation
Audit Scotland / Accounts Commission · 2025-04-07
The review's findings on the ERP system, hybrid working, sickness absence and workforce planning.
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 Stirling Council receive?
Stirling Council has £323m 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 Stirling 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 Stirling area page shows the local poverty, work and pay figures that explain why council decisions matter.
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