Scotland’s nationalist government is under fire amid reports it is spending more than £4 million a year on equality, diversity and inclusion officers. The spend comes against a backdrop of huge spending cuts, with public services set to be badly affected.

SNP Ministers have complained about the lack of funding from Westminster. But the new figures have raised questions on whether Scots are getting the best value for money.

According to a report in The Times, the number of employees in these roles has increased from 42 when they were collated last year, to at least 74. The figure includes directors of equality and inclusion who receive annual salaries of almost £118,000.

The true number of these officials may be even higher as the figure does not include other public bodies like the Crown Office. Based on a maximum salary, spending on the roles will have almost doubled from £2.3m in 2022 to £4.3m this year.

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