A WIND of change is blowing through Scotland's town halls, and Cosla, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, is feeling the cold.

As we report today, two Labour-led councils have already served notice to quit the umbrella group, and four more are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.

Given the six contain almost one-third of Scotland's population, their planned exit, if ultimately carried out, threatens the demise of Cosla.

Certainly, that appears to be the desire in Glasgow, where work is already under way on an alternative model for councils to negotiate funding with Government and wages with staff. Local ­government needs a strong voice.

As Cosla frequently points out, council services such as education and social work have a huge impact on people's lives, and councillors are the politicians that voters rate most highly.

But more and more councils feel Cosla is not speaking loudly enough for their interests.

The power struggles in Cosla may have triggered the current crisis, but the problems run deeper.

As a body with democracy at its heart, Cosla should know it cannot take support for granted.

If it is to survive, it needs to speak up and justify its role, as politicians must.