Fife Council budget proposals include £19m for Inverkeithing

But SNP councillor David Barratt says it won't be ready for at least three years and a location has still to be chosen, while there's a political row brewing about who's to blame for hold-ups and funding issues.

Ahead of Fife Council setting their 2026-27 budget on Thursday, the Labour, SNP and Lib Dem groups have all proposed throwing more money at a new sports complex and given a "clear commitment" that it will be in the town.

A new 3G pitch is included in the £19m sports plans for Inverkeithing. (Image: Fife Council)

The administration put £13.1m into the capital plan last year for a pool with the hope that they could attract more funding for an even bigger and better facility.

The budget meeting is next Thursday with Labour and the Lib Dems proposing adding £5.9m to the pot, while the SNP are suggesting an extra £1.5m.

Cllr Barratt said more money was needed as the anticipated cost of a new pool had gone up from £13.1m to £14.6m since the last budget was set in February 2025.

He stated: "I would characterise that as the cost of indecision.

"Perhaps if we had moved faster on this decision, inflation wouldn’t have had such an impact."

A council briefing said that adding a gym and studio would push the bill up to £18.2m and including a 3G pitch would take it to £19m.

Cllr David Barratt. (Image: Supplied)

Cllr Barratt, who represents the Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay ward, said: "My group has proposed increasing the budget to cover the new pool and to consider the other costs as part of a further capital review and during the development of a business case for the entire site, aiming to deliver best value for money working with other stakeholders.

"Surprisingly, both Lib Dem and Labour groups have proposed allocating the full £19m, doing so by investing less than the SNP budget on areas like education, roads and flooding."

Cllr Barratt has long argued that the new pool should be built at the Inverkeithing High site, which will become vacant this summer with the new Caledonia High to open in Rosyth in August.

The new school won't have a pool.

He said: "Regardless of which budget is agreed, we appear to be finally on the same track in relation to the new pool being in Inverkeithing and including other facilities alongside.

"For that at least, I’m absolutely delighted."

Labour councillor Patrick Browne, who represents the same ward, said: “The suggested figure from the SNP shows the lack of ambition from the council’s opposition.

Cllr Patrick Browne. (Image: Supplied)

"Labour allocated £13.1m for a new pool in Inverkeithing last year and has followed that up with additional investment to broaden out the range of facilities, taking the planned investment to £19m.

"The SNP haven’t even tried to match that with no extra funding coming from the Scottish Government to invest in what could be a regional swimming facility.

"The administration’s budget shows our commitment to investing in new facilities that the public want.”

Cllr Browne went on to accuse the SNP of "failing Fife and Inverkeithing" as the Scottish Government had not put any of the promised £40m extra funding for sport this year into the new pool.

He added: "The SNP government and local SNP councillors have known that Fife Council was having discussions with sporting bodies to see if additional funding was available for this project but they haven’t taken any action to deliver that.

"That’s particularly ironic given that one of Inverkeithing’s SNP councillors, David Barratt, is trying to get himself elected to the Scottish Parliament in May.

"The SNP should have done more to support this project and make it even better.”

Cllr Barratt wants the new sports centre to be built at the Inverkeithing High site. (Image: Newsquest)

He said the SNP had squandered a "golden opportunity" to allocate some of the additional £40m to the new pool, "instead nearly half of that cash will have been spent by the end of the summer on one-off activities" such as the Commonwealth Games and World Cup.