In the Times today:
‘Opposition politicians have questioned the use of “efficient” contracts to finance new schools and hospitals, amid evidence they cost Scotland £224m last year — more than double the previous year.’
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/pfi-replacement-costs-scots-taxpayers-dear-x07rzfrgl
£224 million seems a lot to you and me, certainly to me, but how does it compare with the PFI schemes?
In the Guardian in December 2015:
‘Scotland’s PFI boom means £1.3bn a year bill is in the post. New roads, hospitals and public buildings are being built now, but latest Treasury data shows government repayments will peak in 10 years’ time.’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/15/scotland-pfi-boom-public-spending-holyrood-snp
As usual, a little perspective helps.
Talking-up Scotland 
This tory lot have a lot to say for themselves ,the amount of noise from a party that has the support of one fifth of the electorate is quite baffling sometimes , anyway they are usually at their most vocal when they are trying to divert attention from something else so its get your retaliation in first . This PFI figure quoted would tax most folk when asked to write it down correctly how many zeros in a billion Christ knows would be my first reaction , i would probably get it eventually but it dosnt immediately come to mind .
I dont understand why this PFI con job is not printed on a large sheet of card , and produced whenever a unionist calls for more spending , Thats where yer cash is going any thoughts on what to do now ? should be always the first reply keep it simple .
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Another worthwhile element of the Scottish economy that gets precious little coverage is that of Employee Owned businesses. The SNP Scottish Govt is taking steps (small-scale but, nonetheless, significant) to encourage this business model). See below an edit from today’s news.gov.scot site:
A new industry leadership group will aim to make Scotland the best country in the world for employee-owned (EO) businesses, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will announce today (Monday).
Under the strapline ‘Employees CAN DO Ownership’, Scotland for EO will aim to increase the number of employee and worker-owned businesses from around 100 to 500 by 2030. It will be backed with £75,000 of Scottish Government funding and will be co-chaired by Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Business,
Fair Work and Skills.
Sarah Deas, director at Scottish Enterprise and head of CDS (Co-operative Development Scotland), who will be a key member of the leadership group, said:
“The appetite for employee ownership has never been greater. In the last five years the number of employee and worker owned businesses operating in Scotland has trebled and this past year we have been working on a ‘deal a month’ on average. Our client pipeline is expanding too, indicating take-up of the model will continue to accelerate in future years.
Background:
There are around 100 employee and worker owned businesses operating in Scotland with approximately 7,000 employee-owners generating a combined turnover of around £940 million.
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