Shake-up for community groups running ex-Fife Council buildings

Many of Fife's community halls are run by voluntary management committees (VMCs), who run the facilities as if they lease them from Fife Council.

However no actual legal agreements are in place, despite them receiving £94,000 of grants to assist with running costs each year.

There are also a dozen former Fife Regional Council facilities run by independent management committees.

Current arrangements mean they keep all income from centre activities - but pay no money towards operating and maintaining the facilities. That responsibility remains with Fife Council.

The council says these arrangements are expensive, confusing and fail to address exactly how responsible the committees are for the facilities they run.

The list includes Kinghorn Community Centre, Young Hall Burntisland, Chapel Neighbourhood Centre, Dysart Centre and Dysart Community Hall in Kirkcaldy.

In Glenrothes, it covers Markinch Town Hall, Thornton Public Hall and Cadham Neighbourhood Centre.

The community and housing services sub-committee was told on Tuesday of plans to require the Kingdom's VMCs to incorporate themselves as legally recognised charitable organisations, known as SCIOs, to continue operating the halls.

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The council also wants to reform the committees running former regional council facilities as 'advisory groups’

It outlined how it could give support to VMCs by way of, for example, paying for legal advice to help them become legally incorporated.

It has also hinted it is willing to sell assets or made the subject of a community asset transfer to the committees themselves to absolve itself of any liability for the buildings.

Elected members have tentatively welcomed the review - but warn that too much red tape could lead to the loss of some local facilities.

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Councillor Linda Erskine (Labour, Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty) said: "I do believe this review has to go ahead, but we need to be very careful.

"We could be preventing our buildings from getting some kind of good outcomes from the committees we've got."

Paul Vaughan, head of communities and neighbouhoods, said income would help to offset the £94,000 of grants it gives to community committees every year.

"We're not trying to take these things away - we're just trying to regularise them," he said.

between January and March next year.

ends

Full list of Voluntary Management Committee facilities follows

Kincardine Community Centre

Comrie Communty Centre

Dundonald Centre

Victoria Hall Coaltown of Balgonie

Vllage Institute Milton of Balgonie

Woodside Community Centre

Thornton Old Men's Club

Thornton Public Hall

Cadham Neighbourhood Centre

Markinch Town Hall

Star of Markinch Village Hall

Kinghorn Community Centre

Young Hall Burntisland

Chapel Neighbourhood Centre

Raeburn Centre

Dysart Centre

Dysart Community Hall

Overton Centre

Coaltown of Wemyss Institute

Rosie McDuff Hall

Methilhill OAPs Hall

Greig Institute Windygates

Memorial Park Centre

Full list of Former Fife Regional Council Facilities follows

Blairhall

High Valleyfield

Oakley

Abbeyview Tryst Centre

Bowhill Centre

Corrie Centre

Benarty Centre

Templehall Community Centre

Methil Community Centre

Buckhaven Community Education Centre

The Centre Leven

Sandybrae Centre

Sailors Rest

> Jon Brady is the Local Democracy Reporter for Fife & Angus

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