The Labour party needs to allow people in Glasgow to set priorities to solve the city's problems, according to one of its leadership contenders.

Sarah Boyack wants to see a greater emphasis on locally developed education and training programmes and wants to ensure the city council is

better funded than at present.

Ms Boyack, a minister in previous Labour/Libdem Holyrood administrations, said her experience in government stands her in good stead to be the party's new leader.

She is contesting the post with East Renfrewshire MP Jim Murphy and fellow Lothians MSP Neil Findlay.

She may be considered the outsider, but she is probably the candidate with the most experience of Scottish Labour politics.

An MSP since devolution in 1999, she was a minister under all three Labour First Ministers, Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell.

She was Environment, Planning and Transport minister, Transport Minister 2000-2001, introducing free bus travel for the over 60s and latterly Deputy Minister for the Environment and Rural Development.

She said: "Labour faces one of the biggest challenges in our history. We have got to make our party a force again in politics.

"We have got to reach out to Labour supporters who didn't vote with us in referendum and to our supporters in the past who no longer see us as the vehicle for the social change they want."

Ms Boyack, a town planner before her career in politics, said local government has a greater role to play in improving people lives but it must have the resources to do so.

She didn't say she wanted to end the council tax freeze but said it has been underfunded.

She said in five years

Glasgow City Council has had a reduction in spending of £173million, which has led to jobs and services being cut.

The money the council has been getting has not kept pace with rising costs and more need for investment in schools. Instead of just looking at lifting the council tax freeze, she said other areas could allow councils to raise cash.

She said: "During the Commonwealth Games Glasgow had an opportunity.

"Give the councils the

ability to raise a tourist levy. That would have raised money for services and to improve

infrastructure that would

enable more tourists to come."

She suggests more renewable energy schemes and more community heating projects which can generate income as well as energy for homes.

She wants youth unemployment tackled from a local perspective and the city building model is one she advocates.

She said: "I would like to see Skills Development Scotland devolved to council level. It is working with businesses in the city and providing training and work opportunities for young people."

Opportunities for young people is a theme of her campaign and although part of the Labour administration that introduced the graduate endowment scheme, she said a return to fees was not the answer to student funding.

However she is concerned that other costs are putting off people from poorer backgrounds and leading to higher drop-out rates. She said college courses are not always free and tackling student debt from housing and living costs needs to be addressed.

Ms Boyack said her experience is the key in her leadership bid.

She said: "People have

written Labour off before. I was local government spokeswoman in 2012, when we built support in Glasgow and ran an excellent campaign.

"Going into next year and 2016 we need that same campaigning ethos. We need to

persuade people that Ed Miliband's cost of living agenda fits with the needs of people in places like Glasgow.

"There are lots of good reasons why people should vote Labour."