The Scottish Conservatives have told the SNP to divert “vanity spending” on an independence referendum towards funding for hospitals and schools in the country.

It comes ahead of John Swinney setting out the Scottish Government’s fiscal plans at Holyrood on Thursday.

The deputy First Minister has stated that “difficult decisions” will have to be taken due to the state of the economy.

COSLA, the organisation which represents councils across Scotland, has also warned of a £1bn gap for local authorities in 2023/2024.

Bosses at COSLA have indicated that critical work carried out by council staff could be significantly reduced, or even cut, due to the severity of the funding constraints.

Swinney will deliver his Budget statement at the Scottish Parliament, having taken on the role as finance secretary on a temporary basis in place of Kate Forbes who is on maternity leave.

Ahead of the statement, the Scottish Conservatives urged the SNP to use funds that had been earmarked for an independence referendum elsewhere in light of the verdict by the Supreme Court.

Judges ruled that Holyrood does not have the legislative competence to hold a vote on the issue, despite the Scottish Government having intended to hold one in October, 2023.

Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative finance and economy spokeswoman, said that £1.2bn in additional funding for Scotland outlined by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn Statement should help to ease the pressure on Scots.

The Scottish Conservative MSP also criticised the Scottish Government for blaming Westminster.

However, the Scottish Government has stated that no additional money has been set out by the UK Government to help fund pay increases for public sector workers.

“As usual, the SNP – focused on its independence obsession – has tried to blame Westminster for areas and budgets entirely within the Scottish Government’s control,” said Smith.

“Thanks to Scotland’s place within the UK, John Swinney will now have significant additional funding and the scope to deliver real help if he chooses to concentrate on Scotland’s real priorities for once.

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