FIFE Council is about to begin a consultation on the proposal to change the Community Council boundary between Lochgelly and Benarty.

The consultation follows a petition from various community groups in the Benarty area, asking to change the community council boundary between Benarty and Lochgelly Community Council areas.

The proposed change (shown on the map) would move the existing boundary, which follows the line of the Loch Fitty burn, to a line running between Fife Cycle Park and Lochgelly High School.

The Council’s Community and Housing Committee agreed, at its meeting on November 8, to commission a review of the boundary.

The consultation asks: " Do you think the community council boundary between Benarty and Lochgelly should be changed?" and asks for a simple yes/no answer.

Andrew Ferguson, Committee Services Manager, said: "We want to make sure that we have as many views as possible, from both of the affected communities. These views will help Elected Members to form their decisions when the review is completed.

"Anyone in the Lochgelly and Benarty community can take part either online or by filling in one of the consultation forms. "

Anyone can input to the consultation from till January 31 in the following ways:

• Answer the survey questions online –

www.fifedirect.org.uk/boundarysurvey

•Pop into Lochgelly Centre or Benarty Community Centre and complete a response sheet.

• Send a copy of the response sheet to: Andrew Ferguson, Manager

(Committee Services) Fife House, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT.

The review will also engage with active local groups including Lochgelly Community Development Forum, the Gala Committee and Growing in Lochgelly and the Benarty groups who lodged the petition. Posters are being placed in prominent areas in both communities and Community Development staff will work with local groups to help raise awareness with the wider community, as appropriate.

The local MSYP, Bailey-Lee Robb, is also engaged in trying to gather the views of local young people.