CASH-STRAPPED councils have made a direct funding plea to British ministers, bypassing their “broken-down” relationship with the Scottish government.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) had already joined with its counterparts elsewhere in Britain by writing to Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt with a plea to loosen the purse-strings on public spending in his spring Budget, which is due to be presented to MPs at Westminster on Wednesday.

The letter warned: “Without additional support, there will be inevitable cuts to essential services provided by the four nations, which could have a detrimental impact on sustained efforts to mitigate against poverty and homelessness.