A ROSYTH councillor’s scathing criticism over the West Fife Common Good Fund running out of cash has been dismissed as “nonsense”.

Douglas Chapman said needy local causes were set to miss out on financial help because the fund was “overspent in totality only four months into the financial year”.

The row broke out following last month’s Press report that an error saw £50,000 put in the wrong account, which effectively meant there was less money to be allocated to funding applicants.

Cllr Chapman described it as a “shambles”, said the SNP had twice raised the matter with Fife Council’s Labour administration and that those responsible should “consider their position”.

However, the chair of the relevant committee, Cllr Helen Law, denied that the fund was overspent and said his claims had “no relationship with reality”.

Ahead of last week’s South West Fife area committee, Cllr Chapman said, “The committee agreed last month that we would have a full report on how this shambles had been allowed to develop.

“I am very disappointed that there is nothing on the committee agenda one month on to explain what the Labour administration is doing about this and to allow councillors to assess who is responsible.

“Clearly, for the chair of the West Fife area common good sub-committee not to be aware that the Common Good Fund had spent every penny of its income only four months into the financial year is a matter of serious concern.” He continued, “This is public money and I hope those in positions of responsibility will consider their position.

“There will be many good causes and organisations which would be planning to raise funds through the Common Good Fund and local projects will now either fail entirely or their funding will have to come from other sources and in the current financial climate that will be mission impossible for many organisations.” Cllr Chapman said that, in Rosyth, they had been waiting for the road and pathway to the Parkgate Centre to be resurfaced.

He added, “Parkgate is on Common Good land and we are now in a position where the Common Good Fund cannot even fund improvements to help access to properties which are on Common Good land.

Cllr Law responded that the fund was discussed at the committee but he wasn’t there to hear it.

She said, “Cllr Chapman did not attend the South West Fife area committee last week where a verbal update was given by officers in relation to the West Fife common good sub committee. I therefore do not know where he is getting his information from but it has no relationship to reality. “The current 2014-15 Common Good Fund generated £90,000 with £35,000 set aside to deal with Common Good responsibilities, a sensible action, leaving £55,000 for the cross-party committee to allocate.

“To date, the cross-party committee has allocated just under £50,000 with just over £5000 left available.

“This shows the West Fife Common Good Fund is definitely not overspent.” She said that, over recent years, applications to the council’s 13 Common Good funds in Fife had increased considerably and many had already allocated their 2014-15 budgets. Cllr Law added, “With regard to 2013-14, the cross-party committee agreed to allocate funds from both the main budget and from revenue balances as, again, there was a high level of applications.

“This was not an unusual practice. At no point was the 2013/14 budget overspent.

“I am surprised Cllr Chapman has anything to say on council matters at all as his failure to attend committees is not going unnoticed.” She said the pathway at the Parkgate Centre had been funded by the area committee and concluded, “I would have to add that the Common Good committee is a cross-party group and members have worked together in a non-political way trying to do the best for the communities we serve and there is no place for this kind of nonsense.”