The Scottish Government is pushing councils towards financial meltdown, warns MSP Jackie Baillie.

Data shows that the Scottish Government has cut an eye-watering £7.8 billion from local government funding over the past 12 years, leaving councils in dire straits.

Research has revealed that £376.9 million has been stripped from Argyll & Bute Council’s Core Budget since 2013.

Residents in the area are now facing a 9.9 per cent increase in Council Tax charges for 2025/26 as local authorities are faced with difficult choices to keep services afloat.

The figure was set last Thursday, with Argyll & Bute Council saying it was forced to address a budget gap of almost £11 million for day-to-day services.

A recent report on Local Government Finances unveiled by the Accounts Commission also found that councils will face “severe financial pressures” in the coming years.

The local government spending watchdog concluded that authorities have become “increasingly reliant” on finding savings to balance the books, hitting services hard.

It also sounded the alarm over increasing borrowing commitments, warning: “Councils continue to borrow more to enable investment in their estates and council debt and annual interest costs continue to increase.”

The report also pointed out: “The need to consult local communities and clearly communicate the implications for local services of the budget decisions taken has never been more important.”

Scottish Government cash provides around 80 per cent of funding available to local authorities and “shapes the fiscal environment that councils operate in”.

Helensburgh & Lomond’s MSP, Jackie Baillie, has now warned that councils have been pushed to breaking point, undermining their ability to plan for services.

She also fears that Scots will be left once more paying the price for SNP failure.

Jackie also said: “The SNP government has short-changed councils year after year, cutting an eye-watering £7.8 billion from local government coffers in total.

“In Argyll & Bute, the local authority has faced substantial cuts of £376.9 million, which has pushed it to a budget gap of nearly £11 million.

“Councils now face stark and impossible choices to protect lifeline services and struggling families will be hit with a Council Tax bombshell because of the austerity inflicted by the Scottish Government.

“I know how much my constituents value many of the services provided by Argyll & Bute Council but they are going to be hit in the pocket to pick up the tab for the Government’s failings, while services are cut anyway.”