Ahead of the COSLA conference in November, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is urging all parties to back a new national settlement based on a ‘balanced relationship' between national and local government, supported by long-term funding.

At its core, the manifesto demands an immediate £750m boost for social care, alongside long-term, flexible funding to protect vital services.

COSLA warns that councils are grappling with a £647m funding gap and an 11% reduction in their workforce since 2013, even as demand for education, housing and care continues to rise.

COSLA president Cllr Shona Morrison said that decision making had ‘increasingly shifted away' from local communities at a time when councils had been left to ‘do more with less.'

‘This manifesto is a turning point. It sets out the clear case for a new relationship with national government – one built on parity of esteem, trust and shared ambition,' she added.

The manifesto calls for reform of council tax and new revenue-raising powers. It also calls for a national recruitment drive to tackle the social care and children's services workforce crisis and ‘fair, multi-year pay deals' for their predominantly female employees.