Published Date: Dec 18th, 2024
Fife Council Leader David Ross says the council will continue to focus on priorities, including supporting Fifers through the cost of living crisis, despite difficult financial decisions ahead.
While the grant settlement from the Scottish Government is a little better than expected, the council still faces significant financial pressures, particularly on social care, capital spending on roads, maintenance of buildings and the council's fleet of vehicles. And Cllr Ross is warning of challenging times ahead.
He said: “We have been doing everything possible to plan for future financial challenges while continuing to invest in our priorities.
“Over the past few years we have set a balanced budget and I’m delighted we’ve made real progress on many of our key objectives including fixing Fife’s roads, scrapping charges for bulky uplifts, investing in our local communities and providing more permanent teaching staff in our primary and secondary schools.
“We’re also building thousands of new, warm and well insulated council houses and supporting ground breaking climate change projects.
“Our Café Inc scheme provided over 170,000 meals to children last year and our town centres including Glenrothes, Leven, Cupar and Dunfermline are benefitting from major investment.”
The council is also now letting out nearly 50% of its available external contracts to local businesses, supporting local jobs, as well as investing in skills and training to boost employment prospects for those out of work.
Major investment in the Kingdom’s schools means the Dunfermline Learning Campus is now open and construction of the replacement for Inverkeithing High School is advancing. Unfortunately, the application for Scottish Government funding to support the replacement of Glenrothes and Glenwood High Schools was turned down and decisions will have to be taken in the capital programme on how to address the outstanding needs for replacement or refurbishment of these high schools, along with Balwearie HS in Kirkcaldy.
Added Cllr Ross: “Planning for this budget has been ongoing for a considerable time as we are determined to make sure our future priorities get the funding they need.
“Our achievements so far show that we are ambitious for Fife and our future investment priorities reflect those ambitions.”
The council is committed to continuing investment in the Kingdom’s roads and infrastructure, building on a £3.5 million boost for roads last year, as well as providing every pupil between P6 and S6 with a digital device to improve life chances for children.
Added Cllr Ross: “We are investing in our young people so that we can raise attainment and give them the digital skills they need for the modern world and that employers demand.
“However, every investment decision we make has consequences for other areas of spend, and costs are increasing. There are significant demands on our capital spend in the months and years ahead in the face of reduced funding allocations for vital flood defences, education and new build housing.
“There will be difficult decisions to make when we agree our final budget in February next year.”
Pressure points on the budget position include rising inflation, the cost of pay awards for staff, increasing costs of health and social care and the implications of national insurance payments.
“Through COSLA, there is agreement that local government should not be picking up any consequences of decisions on national insurance. We will be lobbying both the Scottish and UK governments on this issue,” Cllr Ross confirmed.
“We are also working through corporate change programmes, transforming our services and focussing on early intervention and prevention, instead of expensive consequences.
“That means better, longer-term planning and managing any savings we have to make against the priorities we have for the Kingdom’s future.”
Final decisions on the council’s budget will be taken at a meeting of the Full Council in February next year.
