Scottish ministers have held only one meeting with council leaders over the implications of the vote to leave the European Union (EU), MSPs have heard.

Councillor David O'Neill, president of Cosla, told Holyrood's Local Government Committee that while the local government body's communication with the UK Government over Brexit had been "excellent", there had been little engagement with the Scottish Government.

He called for councils had to be "embedded" in the negotiations, something he said had not happened in Scotland despite local government offering up its experience and assistance.

Mr O'Neill told the committee: "I think it would be fair to say that the level of engagement that Cosla is having, along with our other local government associations in the UK, with the UK Government has been excellent. The level of engagement that we've had with the Scottish Government has been a meeting.

"Through the Secretary of State for Scotland we are getting access to civil servants, we're getting meetings arranged with the Brexit Secretary.

"Local government associations are working together, the English local government association in particular doing a substantial body of work which they are sharing with the other four including ourselves, so we are getting a good level of engagement with the UK Government.

"We met with (Scotland's Brexit minister) Mike Russell and (Europe minister) Alasdair Allan. That was meant to be an initial meeting, we offered to supply information to do what we could to assist the Scottish Government.

"Cosla actually shared the view of the Scottish Government during the referendum, it was the unanimous view of Colsa that we should remain, however the vote went the other way so we offered to share the knowledge and expertise that exists within local government, there is a considerable degree of knowledge that does exist, and I would say more so than actually exists within the Scottish Government, and other than that one meeting that took place I don't think there's been any engagement at all."

Confirming that Cosla had not actually been refused a meeting, he added: "We left it that we were available, we were offering the knowledge that we have and there's not really been any substantive contact since then.

"I'm sure that the Scottish Government would tell you they are finding their feet but we're offering to help to find their feet."

Mr O'Neill said the discussions with the UK Government had included the repatriation of powers, the continuation of European funding and the future of procurement post-Brexit.

"We want to be working with both the Scottish and the UK government when powers get repatriated to the UK," he said.

"Where these powers end up is going to be important, subsidiarity is important and getting the powers to the most appropriate place is very important.

"If it ends up in an inappropriate place they won't necessarily function as well as they should for communities."

He added: "We do want to be embedded in the process, we don't want to be merely a consultee. We don't want to be lumped in with others.

"We not only deliver a lot of these programmes, we are part of the formal governance of Scotland and we should be embedded in the process. That's not what's happened in Scotland so far."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Standing Council on Europe includes members with a range of views and perspectives, all of which will contribute to the Scottish Government's thinking on how best to protect Scotland's interest in Europe.

"We welcome Cosla's engagement including at the recent Standing Council roundtable on social protection. We will be very happy to continue to draw on their knowledge and expertise.

"We are intent on pursuing all avenues to protect Scotland's relationship with Europe and our place in the single market."