Fife Council leader Peter Grant has warned the Kingdom must brace itself for difficult times, ahead of a budget meeting next week.

The local authority is expected to make cuts in public spending over the coming months and years, impacting on both frontline services and jobs.

The council is projected to be around £200 million worse off in five years time - a reduction of around 20 per cent of its current budget.

In order to balance the books, the first cutbacks will emerge when the council announces its budget on Thursday.

Councillor Grant said it would be impossible to keep the local authority on track without making cuts to staffing and services across all departments.

He said: "We have to be honest with people and say we are looking at a very difficult time over the next five to 10 years.

"The recession has had a huge impact on the private sector and that is now filtering through to the public sector.

"All departments have been asked to look at where we can make savings - we know there are things that can be done more efficiently, and we're looking at that as a matter of priority."

While areas such as education and social work have, in the past, been considered immune to cuts in spending, that is unlikely to continue to be the case, with efficiency savings expected to be made in both areas.

Savings are also expected to be made by closing council buildings, with more than 50 properties already identified.

Councillor Grant said: "We will do all we can to minimise the effects of cuts, but we have a very difficult time ahead and it's going to last for several years."