Are parties being upfront about Scotland's finances?

Are parties being upfront about Scotland's finances?13 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePhil SimScotland political correspondentBBCThe Scottish Parliament election has been typically packed with promises to spend money on new policy ideas.But there has also been talk of cutbacks, with many parties promising to reduce the number of "quangos" and rein in the size of the public sector.Holyrood's annual budget hit £68bn this year and is forecast to grow over the coming years, with both the "block grant" from Westminster and tax revenues controlled from Holyrood set to rise.However it's also under huge pressure - from growing demands for services and benefits, bumper public sector pay deals and an ageing population.Economic experts have suggested that the budget to be set at the end of the year will be a "horror show" for whoever becomes Scotland's new finance secretary.Are any of the parties being realistic about the scale of the challenge ahead?What are the pressures?The Scottish government's own projections in its medium-term financial strategy suggest that spending is on track to exceed available funding by £4.8bn in 2029-30.That is what headlines frequently refer to as a "black hole" in the budget which needs to be plugged somehow.The social security budget in particular is swelling - it was £7.4bn this year and is forecast to hit £9.2bn by 2030-31.More than half of this is spent on the Adult Disability Payment, and the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) forecasts that one million Scots will be in receipt of a disability payment of some kind by 2031.There is also particular pressure on health and social care, with the Accounts Commission watchdog warning that "radical change" is needed due to a widening gulf between demands and available funding.Public sector pay made up 55% of the Scottish budget last year.The workforce has been growing since the pandemic, but a bigger issue than he...