Cost of referendum rises by a third to £13.3m

The cost of staging the independence referendum will be a third more than the figure initially estimated.

The total cost will be £13.3 million, with £8.6m to pay for counting officers and £4.7m for regulation and public awareness.

Published in an official business and regulatory assessment, the figure is £3.3m higher than the £10m announced in the referendum consultation.

The assessment states: “The cost of running the referendum is estimated to be around £8.6m, the majority of which will fall on the CCO (chief counting officer) and counting officers in the first instance.

“The Scottish ministers will reimburse the CCO and the counting officers for the costs incurred in the course of their role in running the referendum. This should ensure there is no extra pressure on local authority budgets as a result of the bill.

“The other costs associated with running the referendum, such as regulation and public awareness, are estimated at £4.7m. This includes the costs of the campaign mailshot. It also includes costs associated with the Electoral Commission’s role.”

Last year’s Your Scotland, Your Referendum consultation stated: “The total cost is likely to be around £10m, the bulk of which will be spent on running the poll and the count.”