In all the media coverage about the referendum for an independent Scotland little attention has been paid to the impact of the vote on local government north of the border, irrespective of the outcome.

Either way, ‘yes' or ‘no', Scottish local government's status and relationship with the Scottish government will be markedly different. The referendum debate is not just about devolution from Westminster to Edinburgh but from Edinburgh to town halls across Scotland.

As Cllr David O'Neill, president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) since 2012, says: