Accounts Commission warns councils face tough decisions

Responding to the embargoed report from the Accounts Commission on the finances of local government in Scotland which warns that financial pressures push councils to make hard decisions about service cuts, Scottish Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Willie Rennie said:

"This SNP government has always treated local government as the poor relation.

"Roads, housing and education are vital services, not simply a pot of funding the SNP can dip into when times get tough.

"The fundamental problem is that the SNP have utterly failed to get the economy moving. That means low growth and low tax revenues with which to pay for the services we all rely on.

"Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a long term funding deal struck so that local authorities can plan for the future and invest in local services."