Labour’s leader in Scotland has said it makes “no sense” for the SNP to be focused on a second referendum while Aberdeen faces a teacher shortage and suffers the impact of the oil downturn.
Kezia Dugdale urged politicians not to dwell on the past as she marked the first anniversary of the poll with a visit to the city’s Ashley Road Nursery.
Instead the priority must be to make sure young people get the best chance in life, she said.
Elgin-born Ms Dugdale, who studied in Aberdeen, described the nursery as “full of children with a world of possibilities in front of them, a new generation ready to shine”.
She added: “When we look at the big challenges facing Aberdeen today – a teacher shortage that is fast becoming a crisis and the impact the plummeting oil price has had on jobs and the local economy – it makes no sense for the SNP Government to be focused on campaigning for another referendum.
“Instead of trying to rerun the arguments of the past, we need everybody to focus on creating a better future.
“My number one priority is to close the gap between the richest and the rest in Scotland.
“I just wish we had a first minister that had the same priorities.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said it was “unbelievable” that with problems in the police, NHS and schools, the SNP was “plotting” another referendum.
He added: “The SNP should abandon their plans for another referendum so that families and friends don’t have to endure that division again.
“The opportunity to focus on the domestic agenda is now before us with the Scottish parliamentary elections only a few months away.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens have announced they intend to commission detailed research into how an independent Scotland could set up its own currency.
The party believes there should be a second vote in the future and will bring forward “a radical package of ideas” to demonstrate how much better an independent Scotland could be.
Currency became a major issue in the independence debate, with the Scottish Government arguing it would continue to use the pound in a formal monetary union with the rest of the UK.
The three main Westminster parties ruled this out and challenged the SNP administration to come up with a “plan B”.