A second independence referendum would be a "vanity" project for Nicola Sturgeon, a Lanarkshire councillor has claimed.
Robert Brown, who represents Rutherglen South for the Liberal Democrats, has also called for the SNP to refund the taxpayer for the costs involved in their appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Scottish government had appealed to the court for the right to hold a second referendum next year - something the UK government had refused.
However the court agreed that it was not within Holyrood's remit to call a second poll without an agreement being struck with Westminster, meaning the taxpayer will stump up for the legal costs involved.
Councillor Brown has now called the affair a "complete waste of time and money".
He told Lanarkshire Live : “Everyone and their dog knew that the SNP’s court case was a waste of space. In 1998, when the Scottish Parliament was set up, matters to do with the constitution were reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament.
"That is the law. The Scotland Act 1998 says so in totally clear terms.
"Not only that, but these arrangements were approved by the people of Scotland in the 1998 referendum and reaffirmed when independence was rejected in the 2014 referendum.
"Scores of legal experts warned that the law is clear and that this case was a complete waste of Supreme Court time and taxpayers’ money, but the Scottish Government would not listen.
"The costs of the court case should undoubtedly be repaid to the public purse by the SNP – but in fact this is only a small part of the story. In the most recent Scottish budget, the SNP’s Finance Minister laid aside £20m for the proposed referendum.
"On top of that, scores of civil servants paid for by taxpayers’ money, have been hard at work preparing papers and making other arrangements for the SNP’s referendum.
"No one knows how much that has cost because the SNP Government “don’t keep records”. It seems to me that the result of the Supreme Court decision is that most or all of this spending is illegal.
"Families struggling with bills or unable to afford to heat their homes will be totally baffled that public money is thrown away on sterile arguments about Nicola Sturgeon’s vanity referendum which we all knew was not going to happen."
Political opinion has been divided on the announcement. Last week Lanarkshire Live told how SNP MSP Clare Haughey had slated the decision, saying it shattered the idea of the UK as a voluntary union.
She had stated: ""From now, the independence movement is as much about democracy as it is about independence.
"Scotland’s independence remains essential if we are to escape the disaster of Brexit, the damage of policies imposed by governments we don’t vote for, and a UK economic model which delivers inequality and poverty.
"Scotland's voice must be heard - democracy will prevail."
The SNP have now stated their intention is to run the next general election as a "de facto" referendum, and try to secure over 50 per cent of the vote.
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