Fife Council have taken the "unprecedented step" of postponing the budget meeting scheduled for Thursday February 11. 

Councillors were due to meet in Glenrothes to set the 2016-17 budget with a raft of savings proposals to help them bridge a £38 million gap in their funding.  

But they will now meet on Thursday February 25 after receiving a letter from Scottish finance secretary John Swinney containing "significant changes" to the grant offer from the Scottish Government.  

Council leader David Ross said: “On Tuesday I took the unprecedented step of asking the Provost to postpone the council’s budget setting meeting by two weeks until February 25.

“I made this request in response to a letter from John Swinney that I received on Monday.

"This letter outlined significant changes to the terms of the grant offer from the Scottish Government that could affect funding for health and social care, education and proposals for an ongoing council tax freeze.

“It will take time to work through the implications and I have written back to Mr Swinney asking to meet him to discuss our budget position on February 18 when he is due to visit Fife.

“In the meantime, we have extended the budget consultation period to Friday February 12 to enable as many staff and the public to share their views.”

The public consultation on the administration's draft revenue budget is online atwww.fifedirect.org.uk/letstalkchange