Robert William Black (6 November 1946 – 15 October 2021) was a Scottish public administrator who was the first
Auditor General for Scotland
The auditor general for Scotland (AGS) is the public official in charge of the Audit Scotland, the body responsible for auditing most of Scottish public bodies, except local authorities. The auditor general oversees the scrutiny of how public m ...
, holding the post between 2000 and 2012. He had several Local Authority management roles before being appointed as Auditor General. As Auditor General he coordinated the scrutiny of public finances over several administrations. After retiring from the role of Auditor General he held multiple board positions and chaired several independent commissions that carried out independent reviews on issues such as housing policy and policing.
Early life and education
Black was born in
Banff, Aberdeenshire
Banff () is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff, Aberdeenshire, Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county ...
. He was educated at
Robert Gordon's College
Robert Gordon's College is a co-educational private school for day pupils in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery through to S6.
History Background
Robert Gordon, an Aberdeen merchant, made his fortune in 18th cent ...
. He studied at the
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
, graduating with an honours MA degree in economics, then gained a MSc degree in town planning from
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...
, and a master's degree in public policy from
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...
.
Career
Local Authority management
Black was a local authority chief executive for 10 years, first with Stirling District Council 1985−90, then with
Tayside Regional Council
Tayside () was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 16 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named after the River Tay.
History
Tayside region was created in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 197 ...
1990−95.
Auditor General
Black became Controller of Audit with the Accounts Commission in 1995, and was the first person to hold the position who was not an accountant. In May 1999, the
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
voted to nominate a person to become the first Auditor General for Scotland. Parliament's choice was approved by the Queen, and Black was appointed to the post in February 2000. He was also the chief executive of
Audit Scotland
Audit Scotland () is an independent public body responsible for auditing most of Scotland's public organisations. These include the Scottish Government, local councils and NHS Scotland.
Auditing role
It audits over 220 organisations, includin ...
. In October 2011 he announced that he would retire from Audit Scotland. In March 2012, the Scottish Parliament decided that
Caroline Gardner
Caroline Jane Gardner was the Auditor General for Scotland between June 2012 and July 2020. She is a former president of Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) 2006−7.
Career
Gardiner is originally from London. She st ...
should succeed him.
Board and Commission appointments
Black began a three-year term on the Council of the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) is the world's first professional body of Chartered Accountants (CAs).{{Citation needed, date=November 2023
ICAS act as a voice of the professional business community. Although other Brit ...
(ICAS) in March 2012.
In June 2012, Black was appointed to the board of the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
for a four-year term. He was re-appointed for a second term in 2016, and chaired their public audit committee.
In 2012 he gave a lecture at the David Hume Institute, where he questioned the sustainability of public services if provision continued free at the current level. Black had proposed that a Scottish Commission for Resources and Performance be established, modelled on the Australian Government's
Productivity Commission
The Productivity Commission (PC) is the Australian Government's principal review and advisory body on microeconomic policy, regulation and a range of other social and environmental issues.
The PC was created as an independent authority by th ...
. This was not progressed by the Government.
In 2013, Black was announced as chair of the independent Commission on Housing and Wellbeing, bringing together eight members from a variety of organisations, with the aim of improving Scotland's wellbeing through better housing. The Commission reported in 2015 making eighteen recommendations.
Black was a member of the University Court at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
. He was a lay member of the University Court at the
University of Stirling
The University of Stirling (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals; ) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airth ...
from 2019.
Black was asked by Scottish Government to respond to
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) is a public body (Scotland), public body of the Scottish Government that reports to the Scottish Parliament. It has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the effectiveness a ...
(HMICS) Thematic Inspection of the SPA's recommendation to review the roles of its chair and members in executive work. Black reported in August 2020 that the SPA's governance and accountability arrangements were neither flawed nor in need of reorganisation. In March 2021, Black was appointed to the board of the
Scottish Police Authority
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA), (), is a public body of the UK Government which holds Police Scotland, the national police service, to account. Both bodies were established on 1 April 2013, following an announcement on 8 September 2011 in ...
(SPA).
He chaired the board of trustees at the economic think tank Fiscal Affairs Scotland. Set up in 2014, it closed in 2017 after failing to attract financial support.
In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...
. He was a
Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is an established statistical society. It has three main roles: a British learned society for statistics, a professional body for statisticians and a charity which promotes statistics for the public good.
...
.
Black died at his home in Dunblane on 15 October 2021, at the age of 74. A memorial service is to be held at
Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland.
The lower half of the tower is pre- Romanesque from the 11th century, and was originally free-stan ...
on 1 November 2021.
Honours and awards
Black received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Aberdeen in 2004, then an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from
Queen Margaret University
Queen Margaret University is a public university located wholly within the county of East Lothian on the outskirts of Musselburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret (1045–1093).
The university can trace its ...
in 2006. He was an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
Black received a
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in the
2012 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2012 were announced on 31 December 2011 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand,Shelter Scotland, only the second person in the charity's fifty-year history to be honoured in this way.