A BUDGET watchdog has slammed a “lack of transparency” and called for “fundamental change” in the SNP Scottish government’s handling of the public purse.

Echoing the findings of a recent report from Holyrood’s cross-party finance committee and its own 2022 paper, which warned of severe financial challenges and short-termism in ministers’ approach to facing them from year to year, Audit Scotland has once again raised the alarm.

Citing the SNP Scottish government’s £460 million raid on one-off ScotWind revenues — raised by selling leases for offshore wind production — to meet pay awards this year, Audit Scotland warned that ministers appeared to have no idea how this cash would be found in future years.