TALKS between ministers and Scotland's councils have "hit a new low" it has been claimed, after a new deadline was set for local authorities to accept their financial deal for the next year.
Local government body Cosla hit out at finance secretary John Swinney, claiming they were not made aware of any new limit for accepting their cash for the forthcoming year either during or after a meeting with council leaders on Wednesday.
Instead, Cosla president David O'Neill said they only found out via the media, warning Mr Swinney the deal on the table "remains totally unacceptable to us”.
The current offer sees local government receive a straight terms cut of £500million, at a time when they face the same again in cash pressures.
It has sparked concerns over the impact on thousands of jobs and core frontline services.
Mr Swinney had said he wanted to protect the council tax freeze, invest in social care and maintain the pupil-teacher ratio in Scotland's schools, claiming all 32 councils now had until 2 February to respond to the plan.
Some council leaders had voiced concerns at the previous deadline about this year's funding offer, with some claiming it was still unclear as to what was on the table regarding the £250million going into health and social care or the current state of play around teacher quotas.
But in a terse reaction to the new deadline Mr O’Neill said councils hearing that the date to accept the new deal without being told themselves was "simply unacceptable".
He added: “Cosla’s political group leaders and I met with Mr Swinney yesterday and not once did he mention this date.
“That aside the fact that he has only given us an extra three days to accept the worst financial deal in over a decade simply demonstrates Mr Swinney’s misunderstanding of local councils processes.
"If a council has not met to set its budget already or does not have a council meeting scheduled for tomorrow or Monday, this extension is useless.
“Given Mr Swinney only furnished Councils with the final proposals for the settlement today it is difficult to see how he expects any council to comply with this timescale.
“I would like to reciprocate and tell Mr Swinney via the media that the package of measures on the table for local Government remains totally unacceptable to us.”
Speaking after the announcement of the new deadline, Mr Swinney said: "I am absolutely committed to continuing a positive, collaborative relationship with Scotland's local authorities, and I have engaged in open discussions with Cosla on what is a challenging but fair settlement for local government in Scotland.
"This settlement is an opportunity to transform the provision of social care in Scotland with a £250m investment in integrating health and social care services, helping to make our services fit for the challenges of the 21st century."
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