The budget tables published by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre show the staggering loss that will be felt by local authorities including North Lanarkshire Council, which will see a loss of £17.01 million under the SNP.

Cathie said:

"These are shocking figures and show the level to which the SNP are ripping off our community here in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth.

"The SNP's decisions are forcing local authorities to make drastic cuts, cuts that could see nurseries like Cedar Road Nursery and schools like St Francis of Assisi, closed, budgets to social workers slashed and council jobs lost.

"It is unforgivable that the SNP are abandoning local authorities to such a degree, especially as they have £600 million more to spend than they did this time last year. It is about time the SNP disowned programmes like their useless Scottish Futures Trust, which has not raised a single penny or built a single school, and invested more in crucial frontline services."

Shadow Local Government Secretary Michael McMahon added:

"John Swinney is giving councils in every part of Scotland a bad deal and he needs to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions...he has introduced Tory capping by the back door."