A Scottish local authority has been told to "significantly up its game" by the watchdog responsible for public finances.

East Dunbartonshire Council was rapped by the Accounts Commission, which raised concerns over its ability to make savings.

The follow-up audit found problems identified at the council in two previous reports had not been addressed.

Council leader Rhondda Geekie insisted improvements have been made but conceded there were areas where further progress was needed.

East Dunbartonshire has agreed a "transformation programme" which commits it to make savings and transform the way it delivers services.

The Accounts Commission found much of the programme remains behind schedule and casts into doubt the council's ability to secure £27.6m in savings over the next three years.

The report said improvements have been made in financial management but there are concerns about the range of skills and experience in the financial team to sustain them.

East Dunbartonshire will now seek to share services with neighbouring councils but it is not yet clear what savings will result from this, it said.

Accounts Commission chairman Douglas Sinclair said: "All councils face future funding gaps and are having to make radical changes in how services are provided.

"East Dunbartonshire needs to significantly up its game to deliver on its ambitions."

Geekie said the council had worked to respond to all the concerns outlined in the Accounts Commission's June 2015 report.

She said savings of £40m had been made in the eight years to 2015/16.

"Local government has faced unprecedented and relentless budget cuts in recent years, and no one can deny the challenging financial environment we all face," she said.

"Our transformation programme was agreed by this council to ensure that we identified and delivered every possible saving.

"We acknowledge that there are areas for further improvement across our organisation and whilst I look forward to our meeting with the Accounts Commission to discuss the best value audit findings, I think it is important that we consider the wider findings and not focus only on the more negative highlights."