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| Deadline looms for councils to accept funding deal | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The deadline is looming for councils to decide whether to accept the Scottish government's funding deal. | |
| Local government body Cosla has claimed that councils face £350m worth of cuts and some councils are contemplating a legal challenge to the government. | Local government body Cosla has claimed that councils face £350m worth of cuts and some councils are contemplating a legal challenge to the government. |
| But the likelihood is that all 32 councils, that are heavily dependent on government money, will accept the deal by the end of Tuesday. | |
| This would mean that the council tax freeze would hold for a ninth year. | This would mean that the council tax freeze would hold for a ninth year. |
| Most local authorities have said they will be getting less in the coming year than they had anticipated. | Most local authorities have said they will be getting less in the coming year than they had anticipated. |
| As a result, they are looking at ways of finding fresh cuts and savings. | As a result, they are looking at ways of finding fresh cuts and savings. |
| Every council in Scotland which is not run by the SNP has branded the deal on offer as unacceptable. | Every council in Scotland which is not run by the SNP has branded the deal on offer as unacceptable. |
| However, it is unlikely that any councils will reject the government offer. | However, it is unlikely that any councils will reject the government offer. |
| A number of them are looking at the possibility of a legal challenge on some of the details. | A number of them are looking at the possibility of a legal challenge on some of the details. |
| The terms of the deal on offer make it even harder than before to propose putting up the council tax - any rise would need to be large to be effective. | The terms of the deal on offer make it even harder than before to propose putting up the council tax - any rise would need to be large to be effective. |
| Last week Moray Council dropped a proposal for an 18% increase. | Last week Moray Council dropped a proposal for an 18% increase. |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| By Jamie McIvor, local government correspondent | By Jamie McIvor, local government correspondent |
| It would be astounding if any council actually rejected the Scottish government's funding offer. | It would be astounding if any council actually rejected the Scottish government's funding offer. |
| Councils are heavily dependent on the Scottish government for their money - to say no at this stage, with no prospect of a significantly better offer, would plunge them into crisis. | Councils are heavily dependent on the Scottish government for their money - to say no at this stage, with no prospect of a significantly better offer, would plunge them into crisis. |
| But this year's budget offer has strained relations badly between non-SNP councils and the Scottish government. | But this year's budget offer has strained relations badly between non-SNP councils and the Scottish government. |
| The immediate concern is straightforward. Many councils argue they will receive less than they had anticipated so are now contemplating bigger cuts and savings than they had forecast. | The immediate concern is straightforward. Many councils argue they will receive less than they had anticipated so are now contemplating bigger cuts and savings than they had forecast. |
| The government offer, as ever, includes money to compensate councils for not putting up the council tax. | The government offer, as ever, includes money to compensate councils for not putting up the council tax. |
| The government points to research which demonstrates that, if anything, councils have been over-compensated for freezing the council tax which last went up in 2007. | The government points to research which demonstrates that, if anything, councils have been over-compensated for freezing the council tax which last went up in 2007. |
| READ MORE FROM JAMIE |