COUNCILLORS have agreed to spend £355,000 to help areas in South and West Fife recover from the cost-of-living crisis.

The investment also includes £30,000 to Dalgety Bay Community Trust to develop plans for a new community hub in the town.

The rest of the money will go on four new members of staff to assist locals in tackling poverty and preventing crisis.

Councillor David Barratt, convener of the South and West Fife area committee, said the money for Dalgety Bay would help them pay for an architect to progress their plans, adding: "This is a fantastic project powered by the trust’s ambitious vision to go beyond a traditional community centre and deliver a new inter-generational facility with real purpose and that truly meets the needs of the community."

In August, the council agreed to set up a £10 million community recovery fund to help support Fifers cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

Each of the seven area committees was given an allocation and South and West Fife received £1.23m, to be spent over two years.

Yesterday (Wednesday), councillors agreed to spend money on four posts over two years: £41,000 for a financial and education worker (with £41,000 joint funding from the welfare reform anti-poverty budget); £108,000 on a community education worker; and £176,000 on two welfare support officers.

Other proposals and projects – including the regeneration of Inverkeithing harbour, providing a fleet of e-bikes at tourist spots, adding laundry facilities in schools and nurseries, creating a public transport interchange with shuttle buses to West Fife villages, a new Men's Shed and more multi-use games areas and skateparks – are still being developed and costed.

Some councillors had wanted to see more details before approving the requests for the four posts but this was voted down 6-4.