Wages of spin: Cost of army of Scots government comms staff doubles since SNP came to power

It comes as the Scottish Government confirmed it is having to slash £500m from the Scottish Government budget partly to fund huge pay settlements for public sector workers including train drivers and local council workers - while still having to resolve further pay disputes that could take the extra taxpayer burden even higher.

The Herald on Sunday has learned that as part of agreed savings plans includes cutting at least £33m in staffing costs from its budget. Some £20m employee cost cuts are expected in the Scottish Government's social justice, housing and local government portfolio through "enhanced recruitment controls".

In 2007, the SNP became the largest party in the Scottish Parliament with 47 of 129 seats, narrowly ousting Scottish Labour with 46 seats with Alex Salmond becoming First Minister.

Since then the wages of spin have risen in almost every year under the SNP administration – starting with a £100,000 rise in its first year 2007/8 and including a spike of more than £400,000 between 2012/13 and 2013/14.

Since then the spend has risen by over a £1m from £2,645,087 t 2017/18, reaching £3.4m in 2020/21 and £3,739.924 in 2021/22.

It comes as the number of Scottish government public relations staff has risen by over 50 per cent from 115 to 176 in the past four years. In 2009/10 under Alex Salmond's tenure in 2009/10 there were 41 'communications officers' and even then there were calls for that to be scaled back.

The cost of government communications had soared even before the Covid crisis standing at £2,813,801 in 2019/20.

Meanwhile the number of special advisers, who are exempt from rules of political neutrality at the Scottish Government has risen to 18 despite first ministers in the past being restricted by law to 12 special advisers. The limit was lifted in 2010, allowing the SNP leader to exceed it for the first time in advance of the 2014 referendum of Scottish independence.

The SNP administration appointed nine special advisers when it came to power in 2007-08 and Mr Salmond increased this to 11 by the time of the Holyrood election of 2011 when they had to resign from the civil service.

But despite a public sector pay freeze at the time, many were re-appointed on increased salaries after the SNP's landslide victory.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Endless armies of government spin doctors are a burden on struggling taxpayers.

"While it's understandable that some communications staff will be required, there is little need for a constantly ballooning budget to pay for public relations and media management. "These are exactly the sort of sensible savings that can be made to save taxpayers' money."

The number of special advisers - who provide political advice and support to ministers - has doubled since 2007/08 when the SNP entered power under Mr Salmond with nine following the appointment of 12 special advisers in the last year of the Labour/Liberal Democrat administration.

The average salary for a special adviser is around £60,000, but can be as high as £110,000.

The Scottish Government in May confirmed a civil servants' recruitment freeze and controls over regrading - including promotions and pay rises.

“The enhanced recruitment controls include the introduction of a temporary pause on new internal and external recruitment in core Scottish Government, though new vacancies can be undertaken in exceptional circumstances," the Scottish Government said.

Unions have warned that Scots council leaders that cuts to frontline services "won't be tolerated" after accepting a pay deal at the end of last month to end a dispute that that threatened to shut schools and and waste disposal services.

Taxpayers were forced to foot a further £200m every year to fund the huge council staff pay rise.

The Scottish Government talked of the £500m savings within days of the pay awards.

Union sources said the local authority group Cosla increased the pay pot from Scotland's 250,000 local authority workers from around £400m to £600m at the 11th hour allowing the lowest paid staff to get a pay increase of around 10 to 11% following the intervention of the First Minister.

The pay settlement came after Nicola Sturgeon and the Deputy First Minister John Swinney insisted there was "no more money".

The backlash over pay has come after ministers agreed a "breakthrough" up to 10% deal in a newly nationalised ScotRail dispute with train drivers union Aslef which ended a row which led to emergency timetable cuts of to up to half of daily services.

The Scottish Government is still facing further public sector unrest, with disputes still live involving teachers and NHS staff.

Concerns have been raised over a failure to improve a 5% offer to teachers since August 19 - two weeks before an improved offer of up to 10% was given to council staff, including education workers, at the 11th hour to stave off imminent school closures and bin strikes.

Scotland’s biggest teaching union EIS has issued formal notices of strike ballots to all 32 of the country's local authorities.

A Scottish Government spokesman: “Effective communication is an essential component of government work. Communications activity explains policy and provides information about the government and its services. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic this has included communicating vital public health messages, including work to drive vaccination and ensure people receive healthcare in the correct setting. These figures reflect the increase in numbers and costs of communications staff.

“Special Advisers provide important assistance to Ministers on the development of policy and its presentation. Their appointment is designed to reinforce the political impartiality of the permanent Civil Service by providing Ministers with a separate channel for political advice and assistance.”