Following the visit from Fist Minister John Swinney, COSLA President, Councillor Shona Morrison, said: "I'd like to extend thanks to the First Minister for attending COSLA's meeting of Council Leaders today. I welcome the opportunity for Scotland's Council Leaders to have a forum with the First Minister, and view meetings like this as an important step as we continue to build a stronger relationship between local and national government.

“We jointly signed the Verity House Agreement with the Scottish Government in 2023, which is based on the principle that councils know best how to serve the people in their communities. By giving our councils greater flexibility over how they use their budgets and regularly reviewing their powers and funding, we can empower them to put that knowledge into practice – whether that’s to tackle poverty, transform our economy to deliver net zero, or to provide high-quality public services which benefit us all.

"Meetings such as this one provide a positive opportunity for us to build on the Verity House Agreement and continue to develop a stronger working relationship which recognises the vital role local government plays in people's lives."