It was the dog that didn’t bark during the Holyrood election campaign: the idea of radical reform in Scotland’s public services, our NHS, our schools and our local councils. But that silent hound is about to howl, and loudly.

Scottish ministers are preparing to set out plans for an overhaul of the public sector and for significant structural change, starting with a substantial cut in the number of health boards, currently 14.

Yes, this initiative, and the others to follow, are driven by the need to curb the cost of public services in Scotland. Ministers are striving to fill a black hole of £5bn in their budget by the end of this Parliament, a yawning gap between planned spending and anticipated revenue.

This week, Auditor General Stephen Boyle warned that action was lagging behind rhetoric. He said the Scottish Government had been good at setting out strategies but had so far struggled to deliver.

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I understand that some in St Andrew’s House were mildly irked by those comments, feeling they overstated the accusation of neglect. However, they believe their coming plans will address the question of finding cash savings.

Ministers will also argue that reform will make the public sector more efficient and far better at delivering the services Scotland wants and needs.

The objective is for the public sector to be reduced in scale and complexity. One source told me: “The premise is that we have too much of every type of governance in Scotland. Too many cooks, too much........

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