THE big beasts of the independence debate are to have their first head-to-head encounter next month in St Andrews, the Sunday Herald can reveal. 

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will confront Better Together leader Alistair Darling at the annual conference of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) on March 8.

The pair will square up before the heads of all 32 Scottish councils in a session about the future of local services after the referendum.

Titled "Today's Reality, Tomorrow's Vision", the conference is intended to end the sidelining of councils from the independence debate, and to secure pledges from the Yes and No camps about the wellbeing of local government regardless of the outcome of the 2014 vote.

The conference will also hear from Lord David Freud, the Tory peer behind the Coalition's welfare reforms, including the "bedroom tax" which cuts housing benefit for social tenants, and which Cosla fears will be a disaster.

Also speaking are SNP Finance Secretary John Swinney, Health Secretary Alex Neil and shadow secretary of state Margaret Curran.

Cosla president David O'Neill said the conference would be "more political" than under his immediate predecessor Pat Watters, engaging directly with politicians from Holyrood, Westminster and Europe.

He said: "No-one is in any doubt about the harsh realities of the present circumstances for local government and the remainder of the public sector. The financial outlook is grim, but our responsibilities to provide quality services for the most vulnerable sections of our community continue to grow."