COUNCILS must be placed on a level footing with the NHS to prevent vital services such as libraries, community hubs and leisure centres from being scrapped, it has been warned.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), which represents local government and lobbies on its behalf, sounded the alarm ahead of Finance Secretary Derek Mackay outlining his Draft Budget in just over three weeks.

It said any further cuts will see communities across Scotland suffer the consequences – and insisted the immense pressures on social care mean it is now a "ticking time bomb".

Gail Macgregor, Cosla's finance and resources spokeswoman, said Scottish ministers must treat councils “on a level playing field to the NHS”.

She said: "I think a recognition from the Scottish Government that the NHS is not the only organisation that delivers [care] is absolutely essential – and that's the very clear message that we want to get to Mr Mackay.

"As an organisation, and on behalf of 32 local authorities, I can't overemphasise the ticking time bomb that is social care, and the emphasis that the Government must put on that now going forward."

She added: "I don't think people truly understand the importance local government plays within our day to day life.”

Earlier this month, Cosla warned Scottish councils need £549 million "just to stand still".

It said local authority budgets had been slashed by 10 times as much as the Scottish Government’s in the last five years.

Ms Macgregor said Cosla was now in discussions with all parties at Holyrood – including the SNP – regarding a radical overhaul of local taxation, with meetings due to take place early in the New Year.

Fife Council co-leader David Ross, Cosla’s Labour group chief, said his authority had already considered shutting libraries, playparks and recycling centres due to a chronic lack of cash.

He said: "Sometimes we're accused of saying it's going to be a disaster every year, on cuts.

"But the reality is we have been making real, significant cuts year-on-year for a number of years now.

"And maybe they don't grab the headlines but that salami slicing – at the end of the day, there's no salami left."

He added: "We estimate that the workforce has been reduced by 15,000 people over the last five years.

"If that was a closure of a factory or something, there would be task forces and there would be Government attention on that."

Cosla said spending on roads had been slashed by 20% in real terms since 2010/11, while councils have made £1.7 billion in savings since 2012.

It wants the 3% cap on council tax scrapped and for local authorities to be handed greater tax raising powers – including the option of implementing an extra levy on tourists.

The umbrella body also insisted £325m-worth of new Scottish Government policies – such as the roll-out of school councillors and the expansion of free childcare – must not be funded from existing council budgets.

Alison Evison, president of Cosla, said local authorities had suffered under a disproportionate lack of funding in recent years, adding: "There's nothing left to give.”

She said: "A financial threat to local government is a financial threat to our communities, to local economies and to the residents within those communities."

Graham Houston, Cosla’s vice president, said: "It's not about trimming the fat anymore. We're cutting the bones."

Council funding and tax raising powers are seen as key areas of negotiation ahead of the upcoming Scottish Budget, which will be presented by Mr Mackay on December 12.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Councils provide a range of essential local services.

"Despite continued UK Government real terms cuts to Scotland’s resource budget, we have treated local government very fairly – and in the current financial year they received a real terms boost in both revenue and capital funding.

“We have made clear that we are open to further dialogue on options for local tax reform.

“The Finance Secretary will present the Scottish Government’s tax plans in the Scottish Budget later this year.”