Community groups are having to cut through swathes of red tape and “legal gobbledygook” to get their hands on common good funding, it has been claimed.
Volunteers in Fife are being put off applying for cash for clubs and improvements because of the number of hoops they are having to jump through.
Now councillors have called on the local authority to streamline the process to make it easier for people to carry out work on behalf of their communities.
It has been revealed a group hoping to set up a football club for primary school children in Burntisland had backed off after 18 months of negotiations because of the complicated legal process.
And Kinghorn Coastal Rowing Club has been hit by high legal charges and red tape to lease a small piece of land in the village so they can erect a building to house their boat.
While there were no objections to the lease, local councillor Susan Leslie said countless obstacles had been put in the club’s way.
“We should be encouraging community groups to take over assets to make them responsive to community need,” she said.
“This group and others have had so many obstacles put in their way.
“They have been on the receiving end of screeds and screeds of legal gobbledygook and have been hit by huge amounts of legal fees, all for a tiny piece of land that nobody else is interested in.”
Burntisland councillor George Kay branded the situation an “absolute nonsense”.
“In Burntisland we have guys happy to give up their time to run football teams for ages 12 down to five,” he said.
“They are not wanting to get involved in red tape and regulation.
“Their biggest nightmare and the biggest thing stopping them from bringing in Fife Council policy of participating in health and sport is Fife Council.”
Council leader David Ross conceded action must be taken to streamline processes and make it easier for groups to apply for common good funds.
He added however: “We need to be clear on how much of it is legislation and rules and how much is in Fife Council’s power to sort out.”
Mr Ross said there were a number of inconsistencies in how different common good funds were administered which dated back to the days of three district and one regional council in Fife.
“We have a working group looking at this now,” he said.”
