A warning has been issued that Fife’s famous harbours will crumble without a sea change in how they are funded.
Picture postcard harbours along the kingdom’s coast are a driver for the region’s tourism industry and support its fishing and leisure industries.
But no increase is expected in the coming year’s budget for maintaining the centuries old structures.
Gordon Bell, of St Monans Community Trust, claimed the money awarded for 2017/18 allowed little more than emergency repairs and said: “If the harbours budget is left as it is, go forward 20 years and harbours will fall down.”
Only three of the 11 harbours in Fife Council’s remit—– Anstruther, Pettycur and Dysart — made a profit this year, and only of a few pounds.
The others made losses running into tens of thousands of pounds, the biggest St Monans due to a £100,000 dredge.
Mr Bell said: “At some point there needs to be a reality check where we say we quite simply don’t have enough money to maintain our harbours.
“The current budget is not maintaining harbours, never mind improving them.”
St Monans Community Trust has long-term plans for the regeneration of St Monans Harbour and aims to seek funding to implement them in stages.
Mr Bell said the village regarded its harbour as a community asset and said other communities should consider taking responsibility for their harbours.
He also said that the Scottish Government intended to make 2020 the year of coasts and harbours and said: “There is a clash in the sense we are saying there’s no money and harbours are falling to bits and then we are saying that they are of massive value.”
East Neuk and Landward’s Liberal Democrat councillor Bill Porteous said that given the value of Fife’s harbours to tourism, investment should come from other sources.
He said: “We are asking Fife Council’s harbours group to repair and fix centuries old harbours and I sense we are asking the wrong people.
“These are tourist and community assets. Those who benefit from our harbours are not just fishermen or passenger boats, it is all of us.”
In Kinghorn, users said they look after Pettycur harbour themselves as much as possible, without interference from the council.
Billy Poulton, who has a boat there, said: “We generally maintain it ourselves. We’ve just laid new chips and filled in holes and we shift the bricks as the tide brings them in.”
He said there was money spent on repairs a few years back, when a storm washed away part of the wall.
Mike Thorpe, the council’s service manager, said: “The council’s budgetary position for harbours for the next financial year commencing in April will not be known until Fife Council’s budget is set later on this month.
“All budgets are under pressure and scrutiny.
“We have therefore been asked to look at ways of achieving savings and in the case of harbours, expenditure exceeds income by a substantial amount year on year.
“This means that options to help close this gap are restricted to either reducing expenditure or increasing income.
“Whatever decisions are taken, they will affect all 11 harbours and piers across the whole of Fife which the Council manage and maintain.”
