By Claire Warrender

A PROMISED new era of “consensus-style” politics for Fife Council lasted approximately half an hour yesterday.

Despite an encouraging start when north-east Fife councillor Frances Melville was unanimously elected provost, it was soon business as usual with the traditional name-calling and innuendo.

For the first meeting since the election, the aim was to decide political appointments and set out how the council would be run under the new SNP-Lib Dem coalition.

The administration, with SNP leader Peter Grant and Lib Dem leader Elizabeth Riches at its helm, put forward a proposal to create eight strategic committees, to meet every six weeks in Glenrothes to discuss Fife-wide issues.

It also proposed seven area committees to allow local decision-making in communities.

The devolution of power to local level will happen gradually over the next two years.

Eventually the areas will be: west Fife coastal villages, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay and Rosyth; Dunfermline; Kirkcaldy, Burntisland and Kinghorn; Glenrothes, Leslie, Markinch, Thornton and Kinglassie; north-east Fife; Levenmouth, Wemyss villages, Kennoway and Largo; and the lochs, Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Cardenden.

Both plans were accepted by the council without argument, but things became more heated when it came to deciding who would chair the local committees.

To the amazement of the public and some councillors, members spent almost two hours arguing—not about who the chairmen should be, but who should decide who the chairmen should be.

Labour, who until this week had had control of the council for more than 30 years, wanted each area committee to choose its own chair- man, but Peter Grant said that was not allowed under the council’s standing orders and the decision would be made centrally.

Time after time Labour councillors stood up to point out they were the biggest group on the council, despite the fact they are in opposition, and they made it abundantly clear they were not happy with the proposal.

As one Labour member’s phone began ringing out, appropriately enough, the theme from Mission: Impossible, group leader Alex Rowley claimed it was “ludicrous” that councillors in St Andrews would be deciding who would chair a committee in Dunfermline—and accused the administration of “gerrymandering.”

“Surely it’s right to start off on the principle that if we’re going to have powers at local area level then elected members in the local area should determine who their chair is,” he said.

Tory Mike Scott-Hayward reminded Labour they were no longer in power and invited them to the council canteen for a slice of “humble pie” but, undeterred, Labour members continued to attack the decision, with one branding the new administration “almost Stalinist in its operation.”

The mud-slinging continued with Labour accusing the Lib Dems and SNP of being “seriously deluded,” and Mr Grant countering, “Maybe after we’ve voted on this we can have an adjournment so we can put the toys back in the pram.”

It took independent Willie Clarke to bring some perspective when he said, “We’re now in a new era but I’m disappointed because from all sides of the chamber are coming the same personal comments and innuendo we’ve heard in the past.”

He added, “It’s a new era of politics but we’ve not just got to say that—we’ve got to act it. This has got to be consensus politics whether we like it or not.

“I understand people trying to protect their political aspirations, but these aspirations should not come above the people of Fife, because that’s who we are elected to represent.”

His point was acknowledged and the issue put to the vote, with the administration’s motion passed by 49 votes to 26.

* North East Fife MSP Iain Smith welcomed the coalition deal, and said Fife now has a “bright future” with the Lib Dems in administration, writes Gordon Berry.

He congratulated the Lib Dems for forming the coalition after Fife had been “let down by Labour,” adding it paves the way for a fair deal for north-east Fife.

He said he was pleased at the “particular priority” given to restoring the education budget and urged the new council to look again at the closure of Dunshalt Primary School and proposed teacher cuts at Elie, St Monans and Ladybank Primaries.

He also called for a new secondary school for Tay Bridgehead and a single-site Madras College.