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Should we have?

I want to ask about governance. If we were to ask the average Joe and Josephine in the street, they would not know much about city region deals at all, but even those who know something get rather confused, to say the least, around governance. Poor governance often leads to poor delivery. What do you think of current governance arrangements, which are a hotchpotch and depend on the area? Do the governance and the scrutiny that comes from it help to drive forward the best possible projects?

I will go to Mr Chikwama first.

I am surprised to hear an auditor say that they would not like to compare what went on previously to look at the outcomes.

When looking at all of this over the piece, we have missed out on looking at what happened, and at the best practice that was in place at the time and what it achieved compared to what we achieve now with a huge amount more money. We have missed a trick in not comparing and contrasting in all of this.

It is not just about the governance; it is the entire ethos. Do you have anything to add to that from Audit Scotland’s point of view, Ms Young?

Mr Mitchell, I have mentioned you, so you had better come in.

Thank you. Mr McInroy?

Yes. Thank you.

Okay, thank you very much indeed.

Is it democratic?

You said that money is good, which I think we would all agree with to a certain degree, particularly when the money is going to projects that we want to be driven forward.

Some of the deals are now quite mature compared to the more recent ones. If we go back to the original deal, which was the Glasgow city region deal, in 2014, I remember at that point, or not long after that, taking evidence at the Local Government and Regeneration Committee, which I used to chair, about the ambitions at that time. Many of the ambitions were projects that had sat on shelves for a number of years gathering dust, and there was a bit of competition between the local authorities about which of the projects would be the priorities.

Some of those projects were probably outdated at that time, but some folks still wanted them to be driven forward, and I think that it is fair to say that there was maybe a lack of maturity in making the top picks. Has that changed, or are we still in a situation, even with the most recent deals, where the best projects or the innovative ones that are changing the world are not picked?

I will start with Mr McInroy.