The plans were announced by Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney during a progress report on the implementation of the Crerar Review. The reduction will begin once the current round of inspections is completed.

Mr Swinney said, "I am committed to removing unnecessary burdens and letting staff get on with the job in hand - delivering first class public services. The actions taken so far are a promising start, but the pace of change must be increased. We are determined to embed a culture of continuous improvement in public services and move to a risk-based, proportionate level of scrutiny."

Minister have also asked the Accounts Commission to work with scrutiny bodies to develop and implement a single framework to assess the performance of the local authority as a body, for example in relation to its leadership and corporate management.

Mr Swinney also pledged to make a further announcement on structural changes to the system in the autumn. Scottish public services are currently subject to scrutiny by 29 separate bodies.

Source: Scottish Government