Swinney holds talks with councils over funding
The Finance Secretary has held talks with local authority leaders over council budgets.
The Finance Secretary has held talks with local authority leaders over council budgets.
John Swinney said he was seeking to protect the council tax freeze, invest in social care and maintain the pupil-teacher ratio in schools.
He urged councils to accept the challenging but fair settlement'' and will write to local authority leaders detailing the proposition.
The leader of each of Scotland's 32 councils will then have until February 2 to respond.
After Mr Swinney revealed his spending plans In December, local government body Cosla said it amounted to a cut which would be catastrophic for jobs and services'' in local government.
The Scottish Government moved the deadline for councils to agree their budget settlements to allow for further discussions.
Following Tuesday's meeting, Mr Swinney said: I am absolutely committed to continuing a positive, collaborative relationship with Scotland's local authorities, and I have engaged in open discussions with Cosla on what is a challenging but fair settlement for local government in Scotland.
This settlement is an opportunity to transform the provision of social care in Scotland with a ÂŁ250 million investment in integrating health and social care services - helping to make our services fit for the challenges of the 21st century.
We recognise that there are pressures on budgets being felt across the whole of the public sector, as well as in households throughout Scotland.
That's why it is important to maintain the Council Tax freeze while we consider ways to replace it - as well as reimbursing local authorities to ensure they can continue to provide essential services.''