A SENIOR Liberal Democrat councillor has expressed concern over the amount of money Fife Council is losing due to the number of lock-ups and garages lying empty with a high percentage of these in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area.

The Lib Dem Group leader Cllr Tim Brett explained: "In reply to a question I asked at the April Fife Council meeting, I learned with concern that 30% of the Council’s garages and lock-ups are empty, resulting in a loss of income of nearly £1m."

Cllr Brett said he understood that the Council would be undertaking a review of the condition of the lock-up sites, with a report from the Head of Housing due by the end of the year. 

He went on: "However, I assume that this is not a new problem, as the overall figure for empty garages and lock-ups varies between 35% in Cowdenbeath and 24% in North East Fife. 

"It appears we have too many of them in some parts of Fife."

Cllr Brett proposed that either innovative ways of ensuring the facilities were used needed to be found or consideration should be given to demolition and reusing the sites for other purposes, concluding: "A loss of £1m is something that the new Administration should address as a matter of urgency and give a high priority to resolving."