On Page 55 point 3.12 of the agenda of yesterday’s North East Fife Area Committee, Parks, Streets and Open Spaces are proposing to challenge, renegotiate or terminate legally binding contracts in perpetuity to maintain green areas in areas of ‘private land’. Liberal Democrat Councillor for Dunfermline South James Calder is concerned if this is rolled out across Fife that it could negatively impact many communities.

Cllr. Calder has said, “The Council cannot simply terminate a legally binding contract to maintain green areas of what is effectively parkland in many estates just because it is now inconvenient to maintain them. Many of these contracts were signed in perpetuity and while today we would expect factoring fees, it was a very different landscape decades ago.”

“I know the Council has been maintaining this type of land in areas of my own ward in Dunfermline South, including in Pitcorthie, Abbeyview and Pitreavie. Many of the residents are elderly or vulnerable and this could cause considerable stress.”

“The Council cannot simply renege on contracts that it has signed to maintain green areas and I will oppose any attempt to do so. Instead it should look at rebalancing its resources, as currently Dunfermline for example is not receiving its fair share with it receiving around half a million pounds less each year than Kirkcaldy which is smaller.”