A DUNFERMLINE councillor has branded planned policing costs for next year’s Crossford Gala as “nonsense”.

Bob Young, who represents the Dunfermline Central ward that covers the village, hit out after being told that the gala committee could have to stump up up to £1,800 for Police Scotland to cover the event.

Policing of the annual gala would focus principally on temporary road closures to allow the parade to take place through the village and into King George V Park and Councillor Young said that he would be seeking talks with Fife Council in a bid for help.

He said: “I was at the community council meeting last week and the gala committee have been informed by Police Scotland that they will have to pay to police the event. 

“The kids’ gala has been going on for forever and a day and we want these things to continue but the gala committee have to meet the cost of this. 

“We’re talking about a little bit of a road closure – the kids only walk from around the Pitfirrane (now Adamson Hotel) to the park – and I’m really annoyed about the whole thing.

“It is so frustrating because folk don’t realise how hard work it is for the committee to fundraise and put the gala on. I think it’s nonsense.”

Last month the Press reported that the future of the fun day was secured after 22 villagers answered a call to arms and attended an emergency meeting to find new volunteers to stop it from coming to an end.

Gala committee chairman Steven Lilly stressed that the future of next year’s gala is still safe but commented: “From what I understand, it will cost in the region of £1,500-£1,800 to have the road closed.

"This is new legislation and we thought that we might get hit with something this year, so we knew this was coming in. It’s all up in the air but as far as we know we have to pay.

“The shock is the amount to close the road for just 20-30 minutes. Our funds aren’t great as normal; we’re still doing the fireworks this year but last year, for the first time ever, we managed to come close to a break-even position.

"It is a huge expense that we could very much do without and could force us to decide whether to have the parade or do it another way.

“It would be sad not to have a parade because I don’t think a gala is a gala without one. It is good, though, that people are aware of it now and that we’re not coming to a month or two beforehand.”

The gala has been running in Crossford for more than 60 years and the committee organises the gala week, fireworks display and other activities during Halloween and in the run-up to Christmas.