ONE of Scotland's most deprived local authorities has made a formal bid to increase its council tax without facing Government sanctions.

In an unusual public move, West Dunbartonshire Council has written to ministers demanding around an extra £6million from the Scottish Government in each of the next three years.

It also said it wanted the power to increase council tax over the next three years.

It comes as the recently departed chief executive of Scotland's largest council said the authority had set wheels in motion to wipe out poverty in the city, comparing the work to one of the biggest health improvement projects in Victorian Scotland.

George Black, former chief executive of Glasgow City Council, compared his former colleagues' ongoing work with bringing fresh water to the city during the Victorian era, a statement mocked and criticised by union leaders.

The Scottish Government froze council tax for the seventh year running earlier this month and has routinely said it provides a valuable saving for families during an era of austerity.

But councils have complained it hampers their efforts to balance the books, claiming it is forcing them to make deeper cuts to services.

Although they can breach the freeze any which do will see a three per cent penalty imposed by the Government.

Outgoing Glasgow City Council chief executive George Black said last week that modest rises in the last few years would have given the council an extra £30 million.

Labour-run West Dunbartonshire needs to make cuts next year of £17 million and has requested an urgent meeting with Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary John Swinney.

Cllr David McBride said: "We want the Scottish Government to increase the council's annual budget by three per cent for the next three years and we want the power to increase Council Tax in the next three years without sanction from the Scottish Government.

"The reduced funding is forcing council officers to put forward damaging savings proposals in order to close the £17 million gap in our finances. This is deeply worrying and we need action now to stop operational services reaching breaking point."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "This year 2014-15 West Dunbartonshire Council is receiving its fair share of over £201 million and it will continue to receive its fair share in 2015-16.

"We have fully funded the council tax freeze for the last seven years and are fully committed to continuing this freeze for the lifetime of this Parliament. As the council tax freeze has been fully funded this should have had no impact on the funding of essential services. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities."

Meanwhile, in an outgoing message to staff Mr Black said: "Our Future City programme is going to totally rethink what it means to be a city. I believe the work we are doing in education, economic development and employability makes the eradication of poverty a real possibility.

"This will be comparable with bringing fresh water from Loch Katrine and eradicating cholera."

However, union leaders said it was "questionable" whether even a large council like Glasgow had the necessary powers "to deliver on such a noble promise".

Unison's Brian Smith said: "If you then add in the fact that we are facing even more cuts to public spending from next year, further attacks on welfare benefits and government macro-economic policies designed to promote low wages, poorer protection at work, zero hour contacts and more income inequality then the challenge is even greater. Therefore perhaps as a first step it would be better if senior council officials and politicians focused on defending current council spending and services in the city rather than 'dreaming dreams' on the way out the door."