‘We have made promising start’ Council leader takes stock of progress

Danyel VanReenen

FIFE Council leader David Ross believes his administration has made “a good start” in its first year.

Tackling poverty and supporting vulnerable people, supporting the local economy and addressing the challenge of climate change are the three overarching priorities of the council’s Labour administration.

Councillor Ross said those were the goals that the administration had worked towards over the past year, and they were the goals councillors would continue to work towards in the future.

“We’re just over a year into the new council fiveyear term, so it feels like a good time to take stock of the progress we’re making on our big priorities and to set out our aims for the coming year,” he said.

“I think we’ve made a good start. We’ve met our promise to scrap charges for bulky uplifts and are already seeing a drop in fly-tipping, and we’ve put an extra £3.5 million into repairing Fife’s roads this year.

“For the longer term, we’re continuing to build new affordable homes to add to the 7400 we’ve already delivered since 2012.”

He also highlighted the progress on the new Dunfermline Learning Campus, and the plans to replace “the ageing Inverkeithing High School” with a new school in Rosyth, as well as the successful winter assistance programme created last year to help people impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

The council has also agreed a new local economic strategy with support for local businesses – including investment for skill and training and investment in infrastructure.

And the council will be publishing a new climate change action plan in the near future which will outline support for improved insulation of Fife buildings, support for new energy schemes and local community climate initiatives.

“Over the coming year we’ll be focusing in particular on housing and continuing to deal with the housing needs built up over the pandemic,” added councillor Ross. “And on education, improving attendance, attainment and helping our young people into positive destinations after school.

“All this is in the context of continuing funding pressures on the council.

“As I say I think we’ve made a good start but there’s much more to do over the next four years of this council term.”