Council tax rise admission made as 'difficult decisions' loom to pay for roadworks, bins and other services

Cosla said local authorities face "difficult decisions" and council tax is "one lever that we can use to safeguard services".

It comes as analysis published by Scotland on Sunday showed at least 11 local authorities were considering options that would result in double-digit council tax rises.

SNP finance secretary Shona Robison previously urged local authorities to avoid big increases in council tax after she announced an extra £1 billion for local government in the Scottish Budget.

But Katie Hagmann, Cosla's resources spokeswoman, said the additional money followed "significant cuts" in previous years.

Asked if council services could be cut without extra funding, she told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show: "Councils are going to have to make those difficult decisions. Certainly, council tax is one lever that we can use to safeguard services, so council tax increases could be used to fund services locally."

She added: "It's really important to recognise that we do have a real-terms increase to our budget, but this is the first time that we've had a real-terms increase for a number of years. There's been significant cuts throughout the previous years.

"Councils are going to be grappling with exactly these points. Next week, we will get the local government settlement figures, so it's at that point that we will really have a better idea as to what we're facing."

Ms Hagmann said any increases will be "down to local councils".

The SNP previously froze council tax, but this year councils have been left to make their own decisions.

"It's not going to be easy," Ms Hagmann said. "I think it's fair to say we're sitting at the frontline of our communities as councillors, so we're acutely aware and the very last thing we want to do is to add the pressures on to families, on to our communities who may already be struggling."

She said Cosla wanted to see additional funding for the delivery of health and social care, while "huge concerns" remain over the impact of the National Insurance hike announced as part of the UK Budget.