Labour councils are acting to protect local services in the face of Scottish Government cuts to their budgets, Kezia Dugdale has insisted.

The Scottish Labour leader was speaking during a visit to a new £21 million school campus in Glasgow with city council leader Frank McAveety.

She met City Building apprentices working on the Gowanbank Campus in Nitshill, which will become home to two primary schools, a language and communication resource, and a nursery.

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Ms Dugdale said: "This time last year the Scottish Government's budget process was starting and it became very clear that the SNP were about to cut £500 million out of local services across Scotland, and that affects our schools, that affects our care for the elderly.

"We need a Government that's prepared to make different choices from the Tories, but actually if that's not going to happen it's down to Labour councils to do it.

"I think that's what's so good about this visit that I'm doing today, that it's serious investment going into Glasgow because of decisions that a Labour council has made.

"We're talking about brand new schools, cutting-edge nursery facilities, but even more importantly than that it's supporting the local economy, it's creating jobs in terms of apprenticeships for the joiners and the plumbers and all the young people that have worked here today.

"That's the difference you get with a Labour council, it's cutting-edge facilities, protecting local services and creating jobs for people who need those opportunities."

She added: "We now have the most powerful Scottish Parliament ever with substantial tax and welfare powers. We can choose to do things differently, which is why we've advocated using the powers of the Parliament to stop the cuts.

"There doesn't need to be any cuts in Scotland if we ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay a bit more tax, and I think that's a question of fairness."

The campus on the site of the former Levern Primary School, expected to open next summer, is being built as part of Glasgow City Council's five-year plan to improve its education estate.

Gowanbank and Howford primary schools will move to the new campus, along with St Vincent's Language and Communication Resource.

Mr McAveety said: "The new school campus at Gowanbank will provide a world-class environment for our children to learn in. Our programme to rebuild and improve schools across Glasgow has created hundreds of jobs and high-quality apprenticeships.

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"This is the difference a Labour council can make, but the SNP Government in Edinburgh are slashing budgets for local services and investment in Glasgow.

"Councils are doing their best to mitigate the impact of these cuts - but it's time for a rethink in Bute House. The SNP should back Labour's proposals to stop the cuts, and give Glasgow the investment it deserves."

A spokesman for Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: "Kezia Dugdale has a real cheek accusing others of accepting Tory austerity when it was Labour who signed up to George Osborne's austerity charter ahead of the last election.

"Indeed, Ms Dugdale made her remarks today alongside Glasgow Labour leader Frank McAveety, who wants Glasgow's funding to be put in the hands of a hard-right, Brexit-obsessed Tory government at Westminster.

"At every turn, Labour have kowtowed behind Tory cuts - only the SNP have consistently opposed austerity. Where we have the powers to do so, we are making taxation fairer and more proportionate to the ability to pay, while also raising additional revenue.

"Our income tax proposals for 2017/18 and beyond will protect lower income taxpayers - but also generate extra revenue of around £1.2 billion by 2021/22 to invest in key public services."