ROSYTH’S Gala Committee fear they could be £6,500 short if new funding caps for community events are approved by councillors.

Fife Council want to set financial limits on devolved budgets for community grants because they believe the current level is “unsustainable”.

This means that only a maximum of £2,500 can be given to events and the change in policy will hit Rosyth’s gala after the committee applied for a grant of £9,000 in December.

The move was due to be approved by the South-West Fife area committee but was adjourned for further discussion and to await the outcome of the authority’s annual budget.

Stephen Lynas, Rosyth Gala committee member, told the Press: “It is unacceptable to implement this policy when the grant has been sitting before them since December.

“It will leave a massive hole in our budget and there’s only 100 days to the gala. The policy takes no account of the size of the settlement or the scale of the event.

“Crombie could be awarded £2,500 – the same as Rosyth – yet it has a population of several hundred compared to Rosyth’s 14,500 population.

“This is the only the gala’s third year running but it has already been a great success for the community.”

The amount of community grants awarded to Rosyth in 2016/17 was £24,549 but the amount paid to date for this financial year has only been £7,706.

This year's gala goes ahead on Saturday May 26 and Stephen added: “We have already been trying to reduce relying on the council but the committee’s main gripe is that our funding application has been sitting with officers since December, so it puts us in a tricky situation.

“However, regardless of what happens, the gala will still be going ahead. It will just be more of a challenge as we need to seek more sponsorship from businesses.”

Previously, money for events was held centrally with award decisions considered by a grants panel made up of a group of Fife Council officers.

However, in 2015, the Communities Directorate agreed that the centrally-held budget for community grants would be allocated to the seven Local Community Plan (LCP) areas. Groups would also no longer be able to submit multiple applications for the same activity.

A report to the committee stated: “Some community organisations are becoming overly-dependent on the LCP budget, viewing it as a source of recurring funding.

“This was never the intention of this budget.

“To ensure future sustainability and encourage greater financial self-reliance, it is imperative that community groups are encouraged to source other funding and fundraise as well as requesting financial support from Fife Council.”

The council also say that although funding awards of more than £5,000 promote the positive support being given, it also raises the expectations of some organisations that all community groups should receive similar amounts.

This has caused vigorous debate and discussion between community organisations and it has become apparent to officers that the local criteria for community grants should include a maximum amount to be awarded for each application.