A FREEDOM of Information request has, says a community activist, revealed that a senior councillor did not act on his promises to two angry public meetings over the controversial Lochore Meadows visitor centre that Fife Council would carry out two investigations into failings in the consultation process.

Lochgelly Community activist, James Glen, is secretary of Loch of Shining Water, the hyperlocal which made the FOI request, after Councillor Mark Hood had said that failures in the consultation process would be investigated.

The Fife Coast and Countryside Trust had been steering the moves for a new visitor centre but when they made the decision to withdraw from running the park things were left in limbo. Councillor Hood, in his role of chairman of Cowdenbeath Area Committee, made moves to try to placate some of the problems outlined at the meetings at Lochore Institute.

James Glen commented: "Mr Hood tried to appease the Benarty community when it was rightly angry about the botched consultation process for the new visitor centre by promising not one but two investigations by Fife Council. He said lessons would be learned.

"He then repeated at a second public meeting three weeks later that both investigations had been launched. At a subsequent private meeting with members of the Lochore Meadows Panel and the leader of Fife Council, David Ross, Cllr Hood again referred to the on-going investigations, and said they would report mid-January.

"Now it turns out Cllr Hood did nothing at all to commission these investigations.

"After he broke his public promise to the community to stop the visitor centre if it was rejected at the second public meeting, these statements about investigations just rub more salt in the wound.

"No wonder Cllr Hood went to the press a few months ago, claiming FOIs Loch of Shining Water had made were "a waste of time and money" and should be "prevented". FOIs are the only way members of the public can check that councillors are doing what they say. They are essential if we are to hold our elected representatives to account".