Scottish councillors will have another year in office before facing election and will then have another five-year term, under plans being tabled this week by the Scottish Government.

The proposal is to break the link between council and Holyrood election dates, as recommended by the independent review into last year's election fiasco.

Bruce Crawford, the Parliament Minister, conceded yesterday that could lead a short-term fall in turnout for council elections, but that it was "a price worth paying".

The minister said that the consultation on future council elections, to be published this week, will propose that the next council elections take place in 2012, a year later than planned.

It would alternate every two years with Holyrood elections, which are scheduled for 2011, 2015 and 2019.

The Scottish Government's proposals raise renewed tensions with the UK Government, which has been resisting devolution of powers for controlling or running elections.

Mr Crawford quoted the findings of the independent inquiry, led by Ron Gould, which found Scottish electoral law is "fragmented, antiquated, confused and cluttered".