EVERY Inverclyde resident will be over £100 worse off in the next year because of cuts to the council budget.

A study has shown that the average spend per head of the population locally will be £102 less than it was five years ago.

The independent research was commissioned by Scottish Labour - based on figures provided by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) - and party officials have laid the blame at the door of the SNP Government.

According to the analysis, the average total revenue spend per head in Inverclyde in 2013/14 was £2,157 compared with £2,055 projected over the 18/19 financial year - a drop of £102.

The council was hit by a cut of just over £3 million to the grant received by the Scottish Government and councillors last month agreed a package of cuts, including the loss of nearly 50 full-time jobs, and increases to charges to plug the gap.

Martin McCluskey, who chairs the local Labour party and stood for election to Westminster last year, said: "This new research shows what many people across Inverclyde will already know from their experiences every day - Inverclyde's budget has been cut, meaning there is less to spend on vital local services.

"People in Inverclyde are over £100 a head worse off since 2013.

"Unlike the SNP, Labour would use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to end austerity, not just tinker around the edges.

"We have the power to ensure that there are no more cuts to our vital local services - it's time that the SNP used them."

But the SNP say councils have been treated fairly in the face of less money from the Conservative-led UK Government.

Greenock & Inverclyde MSP, Stuart McMillan, said: "This is astonishing from Labour.

"In spite of continued UK Government cuts to Scotland's budget, the Scottish Government continues to treat local government fairly - delivering a real terms increase in funding for vital local services compared to last year, which Labour shamefully voted against.

"While Labour carp from the sidelines, the SNP in government gets on with delivering for Greenock and Inverclyde."