🧭 Is Fife Council Tax Rising Again?

Good morning, Fifers!

Here’s what’s coming your way today:

• Is Fife Council Tax Rising Again?

• Fife to Get First Mountain Bike Trail

• 49 Events to See This Weekend

Let’s jump in, there’s plenty to talk about!

— Duncan

TODAY’S TOP STORY

💷 Is Fife Council Tax Rising Again?

It doesn't feel that long since last year's 8.2% council tax hike, and unfortunately, another rise is on the horizon for 2026/27. However, the council's proposals stick to the 5% increase they previously forecast, better than the 6% rise floated in last week's spending consultation.

While not yet confirmed, the budget for 2026/27 will be voted on February 27th and looks set to pass. Without the 5% rise, the council would face a significant budget gap, which the tax increase will close. They've also signalled a 5% rise for 2027/28, though even with this, projections show shortfalls of £8.5m in 2027/28 and £35m by 2028/29. Future rises or service cuts seem inevitable unless something else changes.

Beyond council tax, the budget includes some notable decisions. Health and Social Care will receive an additional £5.5m investment, education gets £0.5m for Pupil Support Assistants and Additional Needs staff, plus £0.25m for school libraries and £0.2m for school swimming. Roads will see an extra £3.5m split equally between Area Committees, with another £0.75m for signing, lining, and drainage. Major capital projects include £5.9m extra for Inverkeithing's new pool (adding gym facilities), £5m for Dunfermline City regeneration, and £1m additional support for Kirkcaldy alongside its £20m Growth Fund allocation.

The council has also rejected several cost-cutting measures that were under consideration: no charges for bulky uplifts or garden waste collection, no reduction in school crossing patrols, and no additional car parking charges beyond base rate increases in existing locations. The proposals also maintain the status quo on school transport criteria. However, given budget gaps in future years, I would not be surprised to see these revisited in the future.

For those wanting to dive into all the numbers, you can download the full budget proposal here.

LOCAL HEADLINES YOU NEED TO KNOW

• 🚗 Kirkcaldy Esplanade car parks A and B will offer two hours of free parking throughout March 2026 to support town centre shoppers, leisure centre users, and local businesses. Standard charges apply after two hours, and users must collect a ticket to qualify.

• 🩺 Fife GP Practices are holding Protected Learning Time (PLT) sessions on March 10th from 1-6pm. Urgent Care Services Fife will provide telephone consultations, urgent care centre assessments, or home visits if needed. Patients should call 01592 729250 for urgent GP support.

• 🤝 Fife Council is asking residents to report anyone sleeping rough using a quick online form here. By sharing where and when someone is seen, teams can offer support more quickly to vulnerable individuals.

• 🚊 A manhunt has been launched after £20,000 of cable was stolen from a Fife train track. Network Rail staff discovered cut and hidden cable near Valleyfield Lagoons on January 26th, with evidence of other attempted thefts.

• 🔥 Fife College is to lead skills support for Mossmorran workers following the closure of the plant. The College will provide rapid, tailored training and upskilling to help employees transition into new jobs locally and beyond.

• 🎺 Dysart Colliery Silver Band is to take over Kirkcaldy Glebe Park Centre for £1. Fife Council has approved a community asset transfer for the B-listed building, valued at £149k, with the band responsible for up to £200k in refurbishment. Once upgraded, the centre will host music tuition, rehearsals, youth development, and community activities.

• 🚲 Lochore Meadows is to get Fife’s first dedicated mountain bike trail centre with 2.5km of new technical trails and 5,500 native trees planted to expand Harran Hill Woodland. Early works, such as tree planting, will begin soon, with full train construction starting later in the year.

• ⚓ Drysart Harbour Wall, which was damaged by storms earlier in the month, remains damaged with uncertainty over how repairs will be funded and by whom.

• 🏊 Inverkeithing High School pool has been closed for four months after roof damage, and councillor David Barratt has expressed concern Fife Council’s slow progress could lead to it never reopening. Despite £13.1m being allocated for a new swimming facility in the area, no site has been selected.

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WHAT’S ON IN FIFE?

Please remember to double-check details with venues before travelling, as events can occasionally be cancelled or rescheduled at short notice, and some will require prebooked tickets.

📅 Friday, 20th February

Creative Craft Club For Adults - Come and enjoy a regular Friday morning of creativity.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Letham Village Hall | 🎟️ £15

Teasses Candlelight Snowdrops 2026 - Step into a winter wonderland at Teasses Estate's annual Snowdrop walk.
📁 Tour | 🕢 4pm | 📍 Teasses Estate | 🎟️ £8.98

Metal 2 the Masses - Brought to you by Slow Dragon Music in association with Bloodstock Open Air.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £8.80

Pratis Supper Club - Intimate dining experience where great food & company meet great hospitality.
📁 Food | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Pratis House, Leven | 🎟️ £59.29

Kirkcaldy Youth Music Theatre Presents Frozen - A production full of magic, humour and a stunning musical score.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:15pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £15+

Ria Lina: Riabellion - Multi-award winner commands the stage with a whirlwind of energy and leaves audiences breathless with laughter.
📁 Comedy | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £22

An Evening of One-Act Plays - Three one-act plays, each one is to be entered into the upcoming Scottish Community Drama Festival one-act play festival.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Leslie Town Hall | 🎟️ £5.42+

We Will Rock You - Futuristic rock extravaganza blends epic music with a rebellious story of freedom, individuality, and the power of live performance.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £22

Tom Stade - Direct from the Edinburgh festival, and his last smash-hit nationwide tour.
📁 Comedy | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Baldridgeburn Community Centre | 🎟️ £25

Bedroom Farce - In this raucous 1975 comedy, Ayckbourn brilliantly combines elements of farce and claustrophobia, distilling the drama into three bedrooms.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £12+

Strictly Patience - Gilbert and Sullivan opera, Patience, with a slight twist!
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £10+

Lights Out By Nine - Soul Music, mixed with powerhouse Rhythm & Blues and a blend of New Orleans Funk.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Fire Station Creative, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £13.70

📅 Saturday, 21st February

Cupar Market - Independent producers and creatives, fresh produce and food, handmade crafts, and more.
📁 Markets | 🕢 10am | 📍 Crossgate, Cupar | 🎟️ Free

Snowdrops Festival - Stroll around our two-acre garden awash with a carpet of white snowdrops which have naturalised over the last 40 years.
📁 Garden | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Kirklands House and Garden | 🎟️ £6

A Weekend of Specialist Snowdrops - Head Gardener Callum Halstead will lead walks and talks through our national collection of snowdrops throughout the weekend.
📁 Tour | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £25

Bruce Davies in Concert - Hear songs from his current repertoire as well as many favourites from his long and varied career.
📁 Music | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Leslie Town Hall | 🎟️ £13.01

Kirkcaldy Youth Music Theatre Presents Frozen - A production full of magic, humour and a stunning musical score.
📁 Stage | 🕢 2:30pm & 7:15pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £15+

Strictly Patience - Gilbert and Sullivan opera, Patience, with a slight twist!
📁 Stage | 🕢 2:30pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £10+

Lunar New Year Snowdrop Evening Walk - Cambo’s woodland will once again be transformed into a glowing lantern-lit trail, guiding you through carpets of snowdrops.
📁 Tour | 🕢 4pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £7.95

Teasses Candlelight Snowdrops 2026 - Step into a winter wonderland at Teasses Estate's annual Snowdrop walk.
📁 Tour | 🕢 4pm | 📍 Teasses Estate | 🎟️ £8.98

Finn Anderson - Finn crafts piano-led songs that stretch from whispered confession to sweeping drama.
📁 Music | 🕢 6pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £20.21

Panhead Sharps - Three-piece rock band from Dunfermline.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 PJ Molloys, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £11

Minches - Support from For Pony and Tonic Youth.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £8

James Yorkston’s Tae Sup Wi’ A Fifer - James hosts another stellar line-up at the Byre with Andy Irvine, Katherine Priddy, and Len Pennie.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £18+

Fit for a Queen: The Material Cultures of Mary Queen of Scots' Imprisonment - Join us in the Chapel Royal for our first lecture of 2026 with Dr Jade Scott.
📁 Talk | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Falkland Palace | 🎟️ £9.50

Weegie Hink Ae That? - The internet’s favourite sketch comedy trio.
📁 Comedy | 🕢 7pm | 📍 St Andrews Town Hall | 🎟️ £20

Cheap Escape - Another great night of music. Support from Echosmosis and Stone Ashes.
📁 Music | 🕢 7:15pm | 📍 The Monarch Bar, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £8

Queer Chronicles IV: Histo-riots - A queer cabaret variety show marking LGBTQ+ History Month. Singing, storytelling and genderbending rebellion.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:15pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £6.50+

We Will Rock You - Futuristic rock extravaganza blends epic music with a rebellious story of freedom, individuality, and the power of live performance.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £22

Bedroom Farce - In this raucous 1975 comedy, Ayckbourn brilliantly combines elements of farce and claustrophobia, distilling the drama into three bedrooms.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £12+

Atomic Rooster - Acclaimed for at least two classic proto-metal-gothic-prog albums.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Backstage at the Green, Kinross | 🎟️ £35.20

Forgan's St Andrews Ceilidh - Head to Forgan’s and experience one of our unforgettable ceilidhs.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 10:30pm | 📍 Forgan's St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

📅 Sunday, 22nd February

Lego Play Day - Open throughout the day for families to get creative with Lego.
📁 Children | 🕢 10am | 📍 R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

Rosyth Community Market - Fabulous selection of stalls selling a huge variety of food, crafts and more!
📁 Markets | 🕢 10:30am | 📍 Parkgate Community Centre, Rosyth | 🎟️ Free

Community Sauna - Our wood-fired sauna is held outdoors at the beautiful Kinghorn Loch. Come and relax, restore, and step into the new year.
📁 Sauna | 🕢 12pm, 1:25pm, 2:50pm & 4:15pm | 📍 Kinghorn Loch | 🎟️ £5+

Treasures of the Deep Exhibition Tour and Storytelling - The War of the Birds is a new one-person storytelling show in 2025 from Mark Borthwick Storyteller.
📁 Talk | 🕢 1pm | 📍 St Andrews Botanic Garden | 🎟️

Snowdrop Festival: Cambo Heritage Tour - Tour highlighting the significant heritage, the story of snowdrops and a walk through the winter garden.
📁 Tour | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £15

Snowdrops Festival - Stroll around our two-acre garden awash with a carpet of white snowdrops which have naturalised over the last 40 years.
📁 Garden | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Kirklands House and Garden | 🎟️ £6

Cellardyke Harbour to Anstruther Walking Tour - Walk the town’s rich past, historic stories of the press gang and Nelson’s navy, fisherfolk’s lives, storms, shipwrecks and the gold rush.
📁 Tour | 🕢 2:30pm | 📍 Cellardyke Harbour | 🎟️ £11.55

Rocky Retro Afternoon with The Bad Eggs - Fun rock band you can dance to.
📁 Music | 🕢 3pm | 📍 Crail Community Hall | 🎟️ £8+

St Andrews Chamber Orchestra - The Music of Cedric Thorpe Davie (1913-1983).
📁 Music | 🕢 4pm | 📍 Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews | 🎟️ £15

📅 Monday, 23rd February

Royal Winter Tour at Falkland Palace - Step back in time this Winter at Falkland Palace and explore the life and legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots
📁 Tour | 🕢 Every hour from 10:15am to 3:15pm | 📍 Falkland Palace | 🎟️ £10

Musical Theatre Fitness - A high-energy, performance-inspired workout combining dance cardio, functional training, and Broadway.
📁 Sport | 🕢 5:15pm | 📍 Dunfermline Learning Campus | 🎟️ Free

🎉 Multi-Day Events & Exhibitions

Paul McGinty: Beneath The Surface - This body of work represents elements of Paul McGinty's ongoing research into the history of the Coal Mining Industry in Fife.
📅 Thu, 8th January - Fri, 27th February | 🕢 10am-4pm (Thu & Fri) | 📍 Adam Smith Heritage Centre | 🎟️ Free

Unveiling the Madonna - Discover the story behind the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist, the oldest painting in our art collection.
📅 Sat, 8th November - Sat, 7th March | 🕢 10:30am | 📍 St Andrews Museum | 🎟️ Free

Scottish Snowdrop Festival 2026 - Visitors can enjoy our winter garden and specialist snowdrop collection and the swathes of naturalised snowdrops in our woodland walk to the sea.
📅 Sun, 25th January - Sun, 15th March | 🕢 10am | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ Varies

Muir Walker Pride: 175 Years of Practice - Supported by historical drawings & instruments, this exhibition will chart the changing nature of architectural practice and its reflection of society over the years.
📅 Wed, 18th February - Sun, 15th March | 🕢 10:30am - 4pm (Wed - Mon) | 📍 St Andrews Bowling Club | 🎟️ £7.50

Bunker Shots: Stories of Golf and Conflict - Surprising connections between golf and conflict, including the impact on golfers and their equipment.
📅 Fri, 18th April - Tue, 31st March | 🕢 9:15am | 📍 The R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ £17.50

Kirkcaldy Boot & Mart - Indoor and outdoor market held every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.
📅 Sat, 10th January - Wed, 16th December | 🕢 9am (Wed, Sat, & Sun) | 📍 6 Michelson Drive, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

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Cheers,

Duncan