In an exclusive interview, DONNA SIMPSON asks administration leader Peter Grant and depute leader Elizabeth Riches to deliver their verdict on the first 12 months in charge.

What have been the biggest achievements for Fife Council over the past year?

Elizabeth Ritches: The stablisation of the budget, which means we can make good decisions about how we go forward.
We have tried to be very thorough doing the things that underpin the running of the Council, so we can drive forward the big expansive capital programme, and that's where the excitement's going to come and where the people of Fife will see the difference.
Peter Grant: It's not something that people immediately think about, but it underpins everything else. You can get the budget right, and still not do well, but if you get it wrong then you can't really do anything.

How hard has it been to make the coalition work?

ER: I think again we did very good ground work. We have been determined to make it work. We've had the chance to give and take, and because we've each done this it makes our partnership stronger. It isn't one side saying it's all for me.
PG: It's been a lot of hard work but it wasn't something we threw together in 10 minutes.
Right from the beginning we knew what it was that we were going to agree about, where the disagreements would be and we all knew that the disagreements were things that we were prepared to accept to get the wider benefit.
We've got an administration that is stable and that I'm convinced is going to see the course.

What has the administration tackled well over the past year?

PG: Although it's not one that some of your readers in Kirkcaldy would agree with, the decision we have taken on investment in sport and leisure.
It would have been easy for us to hide from the decision and to carry on talking about it for another three years. In four or five years the facilities that people will have will be on a different planet from what they have now.
ER: A lot of the voluntary sector is now on three year funding, which gives them a security and ability to get on with delivering the sort of services that make a difference to people's lives, instead of spending their energies hunting where the next grant is going to come from.
That's going to really produce good results.

What mistakes have you made, and what could have been tackled better?

ER: With hindsight, we could have put out much clearer leaflets on the home care charges.
What went out went out in good faith, but it's afterwards when you look at it and think someone else has taken a different understanding out of what it says. I'm sure we could have done that better.

What issues are you preparing to tackle over the next year?

PG: We want everybody who works for Fife Council is to keep looking at the job they do day to day and compare it to the things we say we want Fife to achieve, and to make sure that they can see the link.
There are also some very big transport projects which we want to push hard - the Redhouse Roundabout and the Levenmouth rail link are the two top ones.
ER: We have some really exciting challenges ahead, two being focusing on the future of residential homes, so we can provide the best care for elderly people in Fife, and also the possibility of building council houses, something that hasn't been done for years.

Has the Council changed significantly since the change in power?

PG: It's changed for us. I think we've changed the way that Fife Council does things.
I think the big change came in the results of the elections.
No matter what party was controlling the council things had to be done differently. Everybody realised that it was time for a complete change in the way things get done.

How has the Council been perceived over the last year?

ER: Some people will find it hard that we have spent a long time trying to get the basics right, but they also respect that we are taking decisions that should have been taken four or five years ago.

How easy was the transition to power?

ER: Certainly not easy.
It just keeps changing. I'd been leader of our group for the last five years or so, which gave me some preparation, but there's always something new coming up and you do feel that you've got a big responsibility.
You do get enjoyment out of it too - for me it's all the different people you meet.
PG: I don't like using the word power. The only thing I can really decide on is whether I want tea or coffee in the morning.
But I don't think either of us has ever been in any doubt of the responsibility.
We all knew from months before the election that it would be three parties with very similar numbers and it would be very close.

What have you learned from the first year?

ER: You've got to make sure you're available to officers, the public and your own group as well. People have been very professional about it. You have to acquire the skills very fast.
PG: I think I've learned a lot more about dealing with people coming from different directions.
How you handle that and take all the comments on board. Also, the things that have ended up taking up a lot of our time haven't always been the things we've expected.

Read the verdicts of other parties and local leaders in this week's Fife Free Press.