CLASS sizes will get bigger, school meals will rise to £2 and some school kitchens are set to close.

Just some of the measures being proposed by Fife Council as it despreately seeks to bridge a £77million funding gap over the next three years.

Speaking ahead of the publication of the draft budget for 2015-18, Fife Council leader Councillor David Ross said the authority was facing the greatest financial challenge since it was established.

He admitted that the problems they face will have a “significant impact” on services and staff but hoped that proposals put forward in the draft budget will avoid wholesale closures and redundancies.

“The cost and demand for services is going up while the income is set to take a dive,” he explained. “Because of demographic growth, the cost of services is going up as we have more complex services and care needs.

"There will also be a £22m cut in the grant from the Scottish Government, while we’re expecting an extra £10m bill for National Insurance.

“Education, at just over 50 per cent of the budget, is facing huge pressures and we can’t entirely protect it. We need to look for savings across the board.

“This isn’t what any of us came into local government to do – it’s not pleasant and no-one wants to do it. But if we want what’s best for the community, and keep achieving positive outcomes, then we have got to take the hard decisions.

“Education can’t be immune as it is such a big part of the budget. We have to find savings there.

“It will probably have a greater proportion of the total budget – it won’t be any less than it was before and we’re trying to protect it.” Proposals for savings related to school and education include the phasing out of non-statutory transport provision for some nursery children, increasing class sizes and revising the music service. School meals are also proposed to jump 20p in price to £2, while kitchens would be closed in some primary schools.

Other charges among the proposals include a £20 fee for the issue of blue badges, doubling the concessionary rail fare from 50p to £1 and looking at car park charges.

There were some proposals that the council rejected, including further school closures, the closure of two recycling centres, the closure of three care homes and the idea of an education trust, which Cllr Ross described as “not practical” with education being something that should “remain within democratic local control.” He said the council tax freeze has had a significant impact on the budget gap, stating Fife Council would have faced a shortfall of £30-40m rather than £77m if it had risen with inflation.

However, the financial penalty the council would face from the Scottish Government for raising it would be “too severe” for the council to propose it.

The budget proposals as they stand are set to reduce the projected gap of £77m by two-thirds and Cllr Ross thinks the remaining gap will be manageable.

“It won’t be pleasant,” he added, “but it will be manageable.

“We don’t want wholesale closures and redundancies. We have the aspiration to avoid that. There are no cast-iron guarantees but we’ll do our best to avoid that.

“Education is always a sensitive subject. We also have something like 170 car parks in Fife and we only charge in 34 of them.

"Maybe it is a case that we should be getting rid of some, or charging in some of them. We’re doing something wrong and that will inevitably raise a degree of debate.” Cllr Ross insisted a priority for the council was building a strong local economy and also highlighted the importance of “spend to save” – doing things earlier in the process to prevent a situation becoming a crisis point.

With a £4m one-off investment available for 2015-16, the council hopes to invest further in employability initiatives and economic development.

Funds are also proposed to go towards pilot approaches for older people, looked-after children and carers, as well as continuing support for free summer swim programmes and anti-poverty work through schools.

The council will consult and discuss the budget over the next few months and Cllr Ross hopes that members will be able to work together in order to come to the best decisions for everyone.

“I’m hoping the other parties take a mature attitude,” he said. “There are decisions in the budget that I can criticise but that’s the position we’re in.

“It’s easier and better if we work together rather than have to fight and defend it every step of the way.”