BBC NEWS | Scotland | SNP levies elected members SNP levies elected members
The Scottish National Party has told its elected politicians to donate £250 a month to the party.

The levy, passed at the party's annual conference in Inverness today, came after it emerged that one third of its MPs, MSPs and MEPs give nothing to the party.

The conference heard that last year, Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan personally donated more cash to his party than all the SNP parliamentarians collectively donated to theirs.

However the new levy, which was backed by party leader John Swinney, was criticised by local party members who said that they now stand to see little or none of the proceeds.