Let’s talk about council spending

Overview

Let’s talk about council spending

Like all councils, Fife is experiencing a rising demand for services, particularly as the cost of living continues to impact people and families across Fife. Tackling poverty and inequality is a priority and the council focusses on support to help people increase their income, meet rising fuel bills and access quality food and housing.  

Last year, Fife Council spent over £528 million on education, schools and childcare - and £249m on health and social care, supporting people facing a range of health problems. Together these services use over two thirds of the council’s total budget. 

Fife’s financial position is stronger than many other councils. Prudent use of resources and careful investment has meant council tax rates have stayed among the lowest in Scotland, and bigger cuts to services seen elsewhere have been avoided. But we’ll need to do more over the next few years to balance the books and protect our strong position for the future. 

Last year councillors outlined a 3-year budget to help with forward planning. This included an intention to increase council tax by 5% in 2026/27. Although we won’t know how much our government grant for 26/27 is until the Scottish budget in January, current estimates assume a £5 million gap between income and expenditure for next year, rising to £36m by 2028/29.  

Without any other action we’d need a 7.5% council tax rise to cover costs next year. But there are options as to how we spend or save, and we would like your input to help develop these - for next year and beyond.