Scottish councils are facing half a billion pounds of financial pressures in the next financial year, council bosses are warning.

Local government body COSLA said councils were operating within a ‘financial straight jacket’ and couldn’t afford to face any further spending cuts.

It called on both Westminster and the Scottish Government to fully understand the financial pressures facing the sector.

COSLA’s Finance Spokesperson, cllr Kevin Keenan, said: ‘We are already operating within a financial straightjacket in terms of the tools we have at our disposal with things like the council tax freeze restricting our ability to operate.

‘Make no mistake councils are going to be faced with making very difficult decisions but this time around we are talking about more than soft targets – we are talking of severe cuts in vital services and job losses in communities and undoubtedly these will impact on the most vulnerable in our society.’

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