Councils will not get £145.5 million in funding intended to increase teacher numbers from the Scottish Government amid a row over how it will be spent.

The cash – a share of which would be given to all local authorities – was initially announced in 2021 as a way of keeping on teachers recruited during the pandemic and has continued in recent years.

But speaking to BBC Radio Scotland on Friday, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the funding was conditional on the number of teachers going up and could not be used for anything else, despite the ongoing financial issues facing councils.

“That money was specifically for an increase in teacher numbers, so it’s not a question of it being withheld or not, it’s a question of the approach being rejected by (local authority body) Cosla,” she said.

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“If there is to be an increase in teacher numbers, then the Education Secretary will, obviously, provide that funding to meet that rising need.

“So there’s money available to local authorities, they’ve chosen thus far to reject that, but the funding is still available.

“There has been extensive engagement with Cosla leaders over the last year, and the position we’re at is if the conditions of the grant can be met, then the grant can be released, which is how most grant funding would work.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Willie Rennie hit out at the decision.

“For the SNP Education Secretary to believe that the response to the shortage of council funds should be to cut deeper is a perverse and cavalier logic,” he said.

“This high-handed, Edinburgh-knows-best attitude will just not wash. This will further damage education in Scotland as councils will need to hunt for further cuts.

“In the run up to the budget this adds to the huge doubts about the ability of the SNP Government to manage its finances.

“Scottish education has suffered enough. It does not need this.”

Cosla has been contacted for comment.