HUNDREDS more jobs have been confirmed as facing the axe as the first council budgets are set in the wake of this week's controversial financial deal for local government.
Argyll and Bute meets today and faces the need to make around £10m in savings in the coming financial year.
Unions anticipate as many as 600 council jobs are at risk in the rural authority, around one in eight of the workforce.
The possible cuts include closing 43 public toilets, scrapping all of the council’s secondary school librarians, cutting classroom assistant and clerical staff by 20 per cent, getting rid of school crossing patrollers, and reducing financial help for local advice services such as Citizens Advice.
Confirmation of the budget is expected on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Dundee City Council has announced 200 posts will go as part of plans to save £25million across the next two years, over four times the figure anticipated by workers' representatives.
Leading union the GMB had predicted the axing of 45 jobs at the council just over a week ago.
The budget details come amid warnings that local government faces the prospect of waves of industrial unrest, 'poverty wages', neighbourhood deterioration and rising rates of mental health problems as cuts start to bite.
Councils face a £1billion black hole in the next 12 months, with a £500million cut from Government and the same again in spending pressures.
Both councils are the either to set or outline their budgets since local authorities agreed to accept finance secretary John Swinney's all-or-nothing local government finance deal.
Edinburgh has already set its budget with around 2000 posts to go, as has Falkirk, which is expected to shed 400-plus jobs.
Upwards of 10,000 local government jobs are expected to be cut in the next two financial years.
In all, SNP-led Dundee announced £11.649m of savings, under half that will be made over the next two years, on Thursday.
Finance spokesman Willie Sawyers said despite the 200 jobs going there would be no compulsory redundancies.
He added that cuts will be made to domestic waste recycling, roads and street lighting, children and family services.
Mr Sawyers said: "This is the seventh budget the SNP administration has overseen and it has been the most challenging we have faced, during a time when there is the biggest demand for public services.
"We will lose the 200 full time equivalent jobs. I am absolutely confident that we will meet these numbers on a voluntary basis.
"To our staff I would offer the reassurance that there will be no compulsory redundancies."