The 2021-22 budget and local government settlement process
For budget 2021-22, the road to final Local Government allocations was as follows:
UK Spending Review published in Nov 2020
SG Cabinet discusses and agrees portfolio distributions for next financial year
SG Budget published on 28 January 2021 (includes £11.6bn for LG)
Local Government Finance Circular 21/01with provisional allocations (1 Feb)
Publication of SPICe briefing on settlement and provisional allocations (5 Feb)
Budget Stage 1 debate in Scottish Parliament (25 February)
UKG Budget published with further details of Scotland’s block Grant (3 March)
Budget Stage 2by Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Constitution Committee
Budget Stage 3 debate in Scottish Parliament (9 March)
Amended Budget Bill approved by Scottish Parliament (9 March)
LG Finance Order agreed by SP (18 March)
LG Finance Circular 21/05 published with final allocations (18 March)
Negotiations on the annual local government finance settlement are conducted between the Scottish Government and COSLA, on behalf of all 32 local authorities ahead of the announcement of the Scottish Budget.