Councils failed to recruit workers for almost one in four jobs when they were first advertised last year, “alarming” new figures have shown.

The data, obtained by the Scottish Conservatives, shows almost 500 senior posts in councils went unfilled when first advertised.

Tory finance and local government spokeswoman Liz Smith said the failure to find people to fill the jobs shows the need for the Scottish Government to provide a “fair funding settlement” for councils.

Cuts to council services and strikes by some local authority staff could have deterred job hunters from applying, with Smith suggesting people may have concluded local authorities are “no longer secure or attractive employers”.

According to the data on the 27,619 full-time council positions that were advertised in 2022-23, 6,457 were not filled at the first attempt – with this amounting to 23.4% of jobs advertised.

Want to see more SNP fails – Politics Matters