Scotland's devolved government has consistently failed to deliver infrastructure projects on time and within budget, with costs often multiplying tenfold. In 27 years of devolution, the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh ballooned from an original estimate of £10-£40 million to £431 million. This pattern of overspending has become the rule rather than the exception.
Ferries and Hospitals Over Budget
Two ferries that were expected to cost £97 million have ended up with a £500 million price tag, along with years of delays and malfunctions. Plans for a new Monklands Hospital are being scaled back because the cost has soared to £2.1 billion. The dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness, originally targeted for completion in 2025, is now expected to finish in 2035, with the final bill unknown.
Prison Costs Skyrocket
HMP Highland in Inverness is projected to cost £209 million, up from an initial estimate of £52 million, equating to over £1 million per prisoner place. The replacement for Barlinnie in Glasgow, initially priced at £100 million, was last year estimated at £1 billion. Sources believe that by the time the first inmate arrives, that project will also exceed £1 million per prisoner.
While inflation, energy prices, and global supply chains can contribute to cost rises, they cannot explain a system where projects routinely take years longer and cost ten times more than originally promised. This is not just a Scottish issue but a UK-wide failure in public procurement and infrastructure delivery. The contrast globally is stark; China has built thousands of miles of high-speed rail at relatively low cost in the time it takes to argue over design, budget, and timetable here.
Who Profits from Overspending?
The question arises: where does all the extra money go? Someone is profiting from a system where deadlines are missed, costs spiral, and governments eventually pay the bill. If Scotland cannot deliver infrastructure on time and on budget, the economy will suffer under the weight of waste. Ministers would never be as careless with their own money as they are with public funds.
