Last week there was a meeting of the Full Council and there are a number of items to report on.

Early on in the meeting there was a fantastic presentation by some young people on the Year of Young People which showcases some of the inspiring events taking place this year.

During the Council Co-leaders Report I asked about how much of the workforce from Longannet are now unemployed, which the answer was that everyone had moved on in some form or another now, and on the new tourism iniatives in Dunfermline which sound very exciting including use of virtual reality.

After this Question Time took place and I asked two questions. One was on a major disparity I discovered in the budgets for Parks, Streets and Open Spaces between Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy, with the latter gaining a huge amount more despite being of an equivalent size. I asked if there would be any attempts to equalise this and the answer was effectively no, but I am pleased that Councillor Ross Vetraino who has the responsibility for this has offered an olive branch by asking for a meeting, so I will be discussing this further with him. I will report back on this in due course.

I also asked if the Council would consider giving free Transportation to any children whose families made placing requests as a consequence of the recent Catchment issues in Dunfermline, as this was the Council’s fault. The answer seemed confused but also a no, and I will be campaigning on this issue.

I also put forward a motion based on an issue in areas managed by Fife Housing Group. There is a dispute over who is responsible for tree maintenance in areas such as the estate off Aberdour Road in Abbeyview. My motion requested both sides of the dispute would prioritise resolving this for the benefit of residents, and I am pleased this passed with a minor amendment put in place by the Administration that I was happy to accept. Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon.

There will be one more Council Meeting before the Summer recess.