LEVELLING Up may be a "shambles" but Fife Council leader David Ross said they "weren't going to turn down five million quid".

Dunfermline got cash from the UK Government fund that they hadn't applied for and it's now been decided what they'll spend the welcome windfall on.

They had to move fast to come up with four eligible cultural projects and, as expected, councillors allocated the £5m to St Margaret's House, Fire Station Creative, Tower House and Dunfermline Learning Campus.

At the cabinet committee Cllr John Beare asked: "We appear to have been awarded an additional £5m for projects but not for the projects in the submission we previously sent?

"That seems bizarre."

Dunfermline Press: Some of the £5m will be spent on St Margaret's House, which is just behind Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries. Some of the £5m will be spent on St Margaret's House, which is just behind Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries. (Image: Google Maps)

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Gordon Mole, the council's head of business and employability, replied: "You're correct. This was not in response to a submission by the council.

"This was an award to the council which we were not aware of until the day of the Spring Budget."

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made the announcement of Levelling Up cash in March and the clock is ticking as the council's spending proposals were supposed to be in by Friday May 10 - that's now been extended to early June - and the projects must be delivered by March 2026.

Cllr Ross said: "The whole process has been a wee bit of a shambles but we're certainly not going to turn down five million quid."

The money will go on "new cultural spaces" at St Margaret's House and Tower House; restoring the B-listed Fire Station Creative building; and creating a new amphitheatre at Dunfermline Learning Campus for outdoor performances by schools and the college.

The council admitted that none of the projects are "shovel-ready" and will take time to develop.

Dunfermline Press: Fire Station Creative will also receive one-off funding for building improvements. Fire Station Creative will also receive one-off funding for building improvements. (Image: Fife Council)

Cllr Graeme Downie asked: "Do we know what kind of return we're going to get in terms of business growth or new jobs being created?"

Mr Mole said: "Full details of what will be created and the defined outcomes will form part of the feasibility work which will take the next few months to develop.

"I don't have any hard numbers for you today in terms of output."

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Cllr Kathleen Leslie asked if the four projects had already received funding from other sources and how much input the public had in the selection.

Mr Mole said that, given the restrictions on time, they'd not been able to hold a full public consultation had to "rely on previous community engagement".

On St Margaret House, it had been included in last year's failed bid for Levelling Up funding, but the building had since been made wind and watertight and "this money will move it into full use as a cultural asset".

He said the cash for Fire Station Creative, to repair the fabric of the building and help with energy efficiency, was "one-off funding" and that the charity had been "running largely without council support for a number of years".

And councillors were told that the outdoor plaza / performance space at the new schools and college campus was originally part of the plans but had been dropped after a squeeze on the budget.

Mr Mole said that schemes and ideas that hadn't been eligible for Levelling Up funding are likely to be included in a 10 year cultural investment plan for Dunfermline.

That could pay for the renovation of Carnegie Hall and the Music Institute, improvements in Pittencrieff Park, a city arts trail, Tower Burn regeneration, street art and open air galleries, a new 'cultural city' brand for Dunfermline and smart technology to assist tourists and visitors.