Fife Council’s bid to sort out stair cleaning costs slammed as ‘rent rise by back door’

Fife Council is currently carrying out a consultation on proposals which would see a more uniform approach to stairwell cleaning charges at mid/low-rise blocks in five of its areas.

Currently there are no charges for the service in Glenrothes and Levenmouth but tenants in Kirkcaldy, North East Fife and Cowdenbeath do pay..

Dunfermline and South West Fife are not included in the proposals as they do not have a stairwell cleaning provision.

Last year, the total cost of the service was £435,504. In 2025/25, it is £459,650 with costs anticipated to rise in the future.

Councillor David Alexander (Leven, Kennoway and Largo, SNP) slammed the idea and put forward a successful motion that the committee was not prepared to accept the recommendation to harmonise charges through a two-year implementation programme.

“If you are going to do this, it should be at budget time not half way through the financial year,” he said.

He called into question why no charges in Dunfermline and South West Fife, adding: “I admire your courage coming to Levenmouth and telling them people in Dunfermline and West Fife are not paying.”

Fellow SNP councillor Ken Caldwell, who represents Buckhaven, Methil and Weymss Villages, agreed that he could not support the idea.

“This is another rent increase by the back door. The Labour administration and Labour Government are targeting the poorest and most vulnerable people,” he said. “The block you are talking about in Levenmouth in my ward, mostly in South Buckhaven which is the poorest area in Fife. That is the kind of people who are getting hit by this.

“We have already had a six per cent rent increase above inflation, a council tax inflation of 8.2 per cent, again above inflation, today we are faced with a two per cent fuel bill increase. I just cannot accept this at all.”

Councillors heard that charges of £7.34 per fortnight were being paid by some tenants although the charge in St Andrews is currently £15.18.

Under the new scheme, a standardised fortnightly charge is expected to be in the region of £6.

Councillor John O’Brien (Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Village, SNP) described the situation as “a shambles” and asked council officials to re-think.

Glenrothes Area Committee also declined to approve the recommendation and asked that another report be brought to it after consultation with affected tenants.

Councillor Craig Walker said it was “astonishing” that the issue had not been picked up before now.

“How has this been missed?” he said. “I don’t think we can offer an informed view on behalf of our residents in Glenrothes if we don’t have the details of what they think first.

“Given it has been 30 years to get to this point, it may have to be delayed so another paper can come back to the area committee.”