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Councils warned as cash timebomb ticks on

The most radical proposals to shake up Scottish local democracy in a generation are revealed today, including plans to merge health and social care for a third of the country’s population.

Sir John Arbuthnott’s long-awaited report on restructuring services for eight councils in the west of Scotland says action is vital, with budgets likely to be cut by up to 15% over the next four years and the impact of the recession felt for up to another two decades.