Fife budget: Labour budget ‘to defend jobs and services’ wins approval

They won the backing of Lib Dem and Tory councillors, to defeat the SNP’s counter proposal by 39 to 30 in a vote.

Councillor David Ross, leader, said: “This is a budget that maintains our prudent approach to managing our finances. We will continue to defend jobs and services and remain ambitious for our communities.”

The budget will see Fife accept the Scottish Government’s Council Tax freeze, but Cllr Ross hit out: “It should be for democratically elected councils to decide their own Council Tax dependent on local needs, and not from Scottish Government based on threats to our funding.”

The region’s political leader warned of “major financial challenges” ahead, but confirmed no major cuts to services this year. It is facing a £42.5m budget gap by 2026-27

“We have to find investment for roads and flooding, replace or improve three high schools, replace and renew swimming facilities, invest in young people;’s education in digital age, and o give staff who we rely on to provide our services a decent pay increase,” he said.

Labour’s budget will invest extra money in the Kingdom’s roads, ringfence a one-off investment of £5m to replace its ageing fleet of vehicles, including bin lorries, and it has a “strong aspiration” to roll out the supply of tablets to secondary and upper primary school pupils across Fife. The administration will sink £2.5m into welfare funding, and transfer £2.1m to help Fife Health and Social Care Partnership to balance its books - but with a warning from Cllr Ross: “We must support social care services. It cannot be allowed to be looked at at the poor relation of NHS.”

Some £500,000 will be put into improving Fife’s educational psychologist service which lags behind other parts of Scotland, with more money going into street cleansing and grounds maintenance, coastal flooding erosion schemes, and pedestrian access to recycling centres - an issue that has sparked a backlash in several communities. The council will also undertake a major study to look at the possibility of establishing a municipal bus service in Fife after tenders for contracts some routes showed an rise of almost 90%.

There will be no change to management fees applied to the four arms length trusts - including Fife Cultural Trust, and Fife Sport & Leisure Trust. There will be extra funding to Fife Coast & Countryside Trust to help it post-lockdown, while Fife Golf Trust’s bid make improvements to the condition of greens and courses will be evaluated.

Councillor David Alexander, who proposed the SNP’s budget proposal, said: “How can Labour be negative about absolutely everything? They don’t want a positive story in an election year. The positivity in our budget makes a mockery of their negativity.”