SCOTLAND'S most senior local government figure has warned councils must be more inventive about the services they can share to make the most of squeezed finances.

Pat Watters, the long-serving president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), said demand for services had increased at a time when the amount of money available to councils had fallen.

He said this was particularly down to the growing number of elderly people, and added effort had to be put into better integration of services "to cut out some of the waste and duplication that is there".

Mr Watters was speaking as he prepares to step down from his post after May's elections.

He said: "It's unfortunate it's only in times of financial crisis we see inventiveness and we should be looking at the situation where that is the norm.

"We have to get local authorities working better together but also the whole of the public sector working better together."

On health issues, he said there had to be a concerted effort involving councils, the education and public sectors and enterprise groups to ensure best value for money.

He said: "Working in partnership will save money and it will be regenerated into providing better services."

He called on parties to put forward constructive ideas for the integration of services ahead of May's local elections.

Mr Watters, who described Holyrood manifestos as "political junk food", said many of the pledges "would not improve any service". In forthcoming manifestos he wanted to see the drive towards a local integration of services taken "as seriously after the election as it is before the election".

Turnout at local elections is usually lower than at Westminster or Holyrood polls and Mr Watters, a councillor for 30 years, said there had to be fresh thinking about how to encourage people to vote. He said voting could take place at weekends, with polling booths situated in supermarkets and other busy venues.

He said: "We should make it as easy as possible for people to participate in the democratic system. Look at the Scottish Youth Parliament where they are doing text voting and e-voting and the turnout is fantastic – and that's for young people we can't get to come out and vote.

"I would make voting compulsory. People love the services we deliver but are not keen on the authorities. But you don't get one without the other."

He said people had to recognise the services they received and should "pay more attention" to who was delivering them.

Mr Watters, 64, is a winner of The Herald's Local Government Politician of the Year award.

He admitted to one major disappointment in his career – the failure to get local government recognised in statute.

He said: "At present, constitutionally the Government could wind us up at any time."

He said Cosla had raised the issue with the SNP Government when it was a minority administration but ministers felt they could not get the measure through Parliament.

Now the SNP has a healthy Holyrood majority, Mr Watters said: "There is no excuse this time so I hope we continue to pursue that with the Government to get it recognised under the constitution that we have a right to local government in this country."