In December, Cosla said that it “was extremely disappointed that once again local government and the essential services it delivers have not been prioritised by the Scottish Government”.

These are just some examples of the consequences of failing to support and strengthen local government properly in Scotland. This is no longer just a complaint of councils and a few campaigners but is now a question that goes to the heart of politics in Scotland.

This kind of behaviour would be unconstitutional in many European countries. It would, for example, be illegal for the German Federal Government to seek to manipulate local tax rates in the Lander or municipalities.

And yet this attitude still persists in Scotland 14 years on. Mr Swinney told parliament’s Local Government Committee in November 2021 that part of the reason he was introducing more ring-fencing was, “that we see too great a variation in performance among local authorities in Scotland”.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters