Big job cuts are set to be announced by Scottish councils to reduce spending. Fife Council confirmed this week it will axe 1,800 jobs within a year after being told their budget is being cut by around £120m over the next four years. Elizabeth Riches, deputy leader of the SNP-Lib Dem run authority, said: ‘This is not an easy road to go down. But we're thinking ahead and we have to make changes to the way we work. It came as the Ernst & Young Scottish Item Club predicted public sector jobs in Scotland could be reduced by 30,000 – a quarter of total employment north of the border.