The Scottish Low Pay Unit (SLPU) has been forced to cease operations, claiming it failed to get adequate financial support from local authorities.

The company, set up in 1989 on the joint initiative of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the London-based Low Pay Unit, has begun the process of winding up and has sent statutory redundancy notices to its three staff.

The SLPU's Glasgow headquarters officially closes today.

In a statement, the unit said that in recent years individual councils have withdrawn support, with only 13 of 32 councils contributing in 2007-8.