About The Lid Files

Uncovering the cost of public waste — and who really pays the price.

Scotland says its top priority is eradicating child poverty. But millions are still spent each year on duplicated systems, opaque organisations, and back-office inefficiencies no one dares challenge.

The Lid Files is a new kind of investigative project: part journalist, part forensic auditor, part public servant. We use FOI requests, public data, and relentless follow-up to shine a light on the hidden corners of public life — from wasteful spending to buried decisions.

Every £36,000 in waste we uncover?
That’s one child who could be lifted out of poverty. Not just for a year — forever.

We don’t chase headlines. We chase answers. Whether it’s teacher pay suppression, public land use, software spending across 32 councils, or why councillors now get big salaries, we follow the money — and we make it make sense.

No paywalls. No clickbait. Just the uncomfortable truth, backed by documents.

If you're a journalist, policymaker, teacher, councillor, campaigner, or citizen who wants to fix what’s broken — subscribe.
If you’ve got a tip or story to share — email editor@lidfiles.org.

We’ll keep asking questions until the answers matter.