Fifers are being "short-changed" by receiving less creative and event spending than those in other council areas in Scotland.

Figures obtained by MSP Willie Rennie from EventScotland and Creative Scotland have shown "stark" differences.

In the last year the combined spending by the two organisations was £52.27 per person in Edinburgh, while in Fife it was £3.87, fourteen times lower.

The amount paid out in the Kingdom was also eleven times lower than in Glasgow, three times lower than in Perth and Kinross, four times lower than in Stirling and six times lower than in Dundee.

The total was just half the amount spent in Aberdeen.

Mr Rennie said: "The differences in spending are stark.

"Some variation between different parts of the country is to be expected, but Fife is clearly lagging behind and people here could rightly feel short-changed.

"Fife has a proud cultural heritage and a history of producing great talents in the arts, acting and literature, but this stands in contrast to the levels of investment.

"The creative and events industries are also key parts of Fife’s economy and support many jobs. Local people and businesses have a huge amount to offer, but after being battered by the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, they need support to develop that potential.

"Spending by Creative Scotland and Event Scotland should be reviewed to ensure that all parts of the country including Fife are being treated equitably and that opportunities are not being missed."

Creative Scotland's spending per person in Fife was the 21st lowest amongst the country's 32 local authority areas and, despite Dunfermline now boasting city status, was well below that in all of Scotland's city councils.

A spokesperson for Creative Scotland said: "The impact and reach of the work with funding from The National Lottery and Scottish Government through Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland extends across the whole country, and our funding routes are devised to help people from all parts of society to bring their ideas to life and for people to access and participate in a wide range of artistic and creative activities.

"We work in partnership with Local Authorities, trusts, networks, film offices and others to embed creativity and culture within communities and ensure locally distinctive work is supported, valued and encouraged.

"In our continued drive to grow engagement with arts and creativity and to help build more diverse, equitable and sustainable cultural and creative communities for the future, we’re in the process of developing revised processes for distributing our funding to individuals and organisations.

"We’d recommend anyone wishing to apply for funding, to get in touch with us and find out what support is available to them."

Spending by EventScotland alone was five times lower in Fife than in Glasgow and half that of Edinburgh, with just 71p spent on each person.

East Lothian topped the list with £18.75 spent per person as well as Perth and Kinross with £2.63.

A EventScotland spokesperson said: "We have supported a range of both sporting and cultural events across Fife through a range of our funding programmes including National, Themed Years and our Community Cycling Fund.

"We have also supported a number of golf events within the region including the recent 150th Open at St Andrews which generated significant economic impact.

"All public-facing events in Scotland have the opportunity to enquire about our funding programmes, and if eligible, can apply for funding. Events are then assessed in terms of their viability and impact which determines the support EventScotland can offer.

"Scotland’s National Events Strategy has been the foundation for helping develop a strong and dynamic events sector in this country.

"The strategy is currently being reviewed to extend its term to the end of 2035, with a public consultation open until June 30.

"All areas of the events sector and beyond have the opportunity to put forward their views on the strategic focus needed to ensure we continue to deliver strong social and economic benefits for Scotland."

Creative Scotland is the public body responsible for funding creative industries in Scotland and distributes funding from the Scottish Government and National Lottery while EventScotland is responsible for supporting and developing Scotland’s events industry.

Cultural investment and opportunities in Fife are also impacted by the local authority and cultural trusts as well as the commercial and third sector.