The Public Audit Committee looks at reports published by the Auditor General for Scotland to examine whether public money is being spent efficiently and effectively.
On 30 January 2025 the Auditor General for Scotland published Sustainable transport: Reducing car use.
The report says" Scottish Government and council spending on measures to reduce car use is complex, fragmented and lacks transparency. One-year funding makes it difficult for bodies to plan and deliver longer-term projects. Transport Scotland and councils do not record how much is spent specifically on the target to reduce car use. The Scottish Government spends significant amounts of money on interventions that could reduce car use, such as concessionary bus travel and active travel, but it has not considered how to target funding to have the most impact on car use. Because of uncertainty about funding, councils and others have found the first year of introducing changes to how active travel is delivered difficult".
The report was discussed at the following Committee meetings:
The Committee has sent and received the following correspondence during the scrutiny of the report:
Correspondence to the Convener from Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland, 13 March 2025