ALMOST £1 billion has been spent by Scottish public bodies in severance deals for staff since the SNP came to power in 2007, according to the latest figures compiled by Scottish Labour.

Between 2007-08 and 2012-13, just over £910 million of taxpayers' money was used to shed 47,350 workers across 180 bodies, including councils, colleges, NHS boards, the police and quangos. The average deal was worth £19,230.

In many cases, the golden goodbyes were used to cut staff numbers as part of a wider austerity drive, as the resulting lower wage bills should save money in the long term.

But Labour, who compiled the data through hundreds of individual Freedom of Information requests, last night said the sums would horrify voters who wanted public funds spent on better services, not generous severance packages.

The £106m spent on severance deals in 2012-13 alone could have paid a year's salary for 3400 nurses, 2900 teachers or 2600 police officers.

Last week, the Sunday Herald reported the angry reaction to the former director of social work at Glasgow City Council, David Crawford, bagging an early retirement deal worth almost £600,000 after leaving his post aged 54 in December.

Labour highlighted the 1918 compulsory redundancies since 2007, including 69 at Glasgow University and 25 at Argyll & Bute Council last year, despite an SNP prohibition on them in the Scottish Government.

Compulsory redundancies have cost £11.6m since 2007, an average of £6050 each. The figures also show £447m spent on 17,618 voluntary redundancies since 2007 - £37m on 1302 people last year alone - an average of £25,395.

In addition, £218m was spent on 8279 early retirement deals, of which £34.7m went to 1710 people last year, an average of £26,357.

Public bodies have spent £51.5m on 12,439 compromise agreements since 2007, many of which impose gagging clauses on departing staff, with £6.2m going to 1376 people last year.

Various other forms of severance deals accounted for 7095 staff receiving £181m since 2007.

The figures may yet rise, as some public bodies failed to supply data.

The Fire Service refused to divulge any information on its severance deals.

The spending watchdog Audit Scotland recently said severance payments should be used as part of long-term workforce planning.

Despite the 47,000 exit deals, the overall head count in the devolved public sector fell by just 37,000 between 2007 and 2013, suggesting there have been 10,000 fresh hires.

Eastwood MSP Ken Macintosh, who oversaw the data gathering, said: "The SNP are spending hundreds of millions of pounds showing people the door, while taking others back on to replace them."

He also attacked the compulsory redundancies. "This is money that should be spent securing employment not ending it," Macintosh said.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "By applying a policy of no compulsory redundancy and pay restraint, particularly for higher earners, the Scottish Government has sought to provide public-sector employees with certainty of employment at a time when economic conditions are challenging.

"With the UK Government's cuts to our budget, reductions are necessary and voluntary exit schemes deliver significant, year-on-year savings to the public purse."