Taxpayers have been hit with a £27,000 bill after the Scottish Government failed to hire a net-zero tsar.

A recruitment process for a new eco chief led to no-one being appointed to the £122,000 a year post.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “Blowing this amount of public money is incompetent.”

The SNP /Green Government, which has made combating climate change a top priority, has vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045.

They last year advertised for two Director General posts – one for Net Zero and the other for the Economy.

The net zero role was hailed as an “outstanding opportunity” for leading 4,000 staff and being responsible for a £5.4bn budget.