Hundreds of trade union members gathered outside Holyrood to protest against the funding allocation for local government.

Unison claimed local authorities are taking the brunt of cuts after councils reluctantly accepted the 2016/17 budget deal which includes a commitment to maintaining the council-tax freeze, integrating health and social care services and maintaining the pupil-teacher ratio in schools.

Mark Ferguson, of Unison, said: ''It is no secret that Unison members have been taken aback by the level of cuts forced on to Scottish councils.

"Our local council services simply cannot sustain this level of cuts.

"We are already seeing cuts to services for disabled people, older people, education, youth services, school support, libraries, road repairs and much more."

In other areas, John Swinney's Budget received mixed reactions.

Vonnie Sandlan, president of the National Union of Students in Scotland, said: "While it is a really positive move that the Scottish Budget has protected funding for colleges, which is recognition of the important role they play in our education system, this budget was a missed opportunity to address some of the big inequalities and problems that exist in the student support system.

"Ahead of today's vote, NUS Scotland, and students across Scotland, have been campaigning for increased investment in the further education support system, which we know is overstretched and underfunded, year after year."

Dr Miles Mack, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, criticised a reduction in the percentage funding share of NHS Scotland spending that GP services are to receive.

"As we made clear earlier this week, GPs, staff and infrastructure have seen a decade of chronic underinvestment.

"We were encouraged when Mr Swinney said in the Scottish Parliament on February 10 that he would reflect on funding for general practice. He has delivered nothing."

Dr Sam Gardner, head of policy at WWF Scotland, said the Budget was inconsistent with climate change policy.

"Just a couple of months ago in Paris, countries around the world agreed to step up climate action, yet this budget cuts back Scotland's funding for tackling this most critical issue by almost 10%."

Emilia Hanna, of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said more funding should have been allocated to active travel.

"Hundreds of people emailed the finance secretary and lobbied their MSPs calling for a change in direction on transport policy asking for 1% of the proposed £820 million big roads budget to be reallocated to active travel.

"The Scottish Government has condemned the public to more pollution and more climate emissions by opting to spend twenty times more money on new motorways than on walking and cycling paths."