AFTER serving her community for more than 30 years, Inverkeithing councillor Alice McGarry has announced she will retire at the forthcoming local elections.

Cllr McGarry was first elected in 1986 and was one of just two SNP councillors serving in Fife at the time.

Since then, she has taken on many thousands of constituent cases, seen change across the area and within Fife Council itself.

"It has been a long time. It has been a lifetime but I have enjoyed it," she told the Press.

"The highlight has probably been getting the new primary school in Inverkeithing. That was a long fight and we managed to achieve that and various other things like having council housing back in Inverkeithing. That has been an ambition.

"And another major one was the redevelopment of Fraser Avenue and Barr Crescent."

Another change has been the revision of wards which has seen her go from serving just Inverkeithing to her being one of four ward six councillors covering Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay.

"When it was small wards, it was much better, you knew nearly everyone in the immediate area," she explained.

“It has been a privilege to have worked with so many people in the community over many years. Working in partnership with Cllr Barratt over the last five years in the expanded ward has made a significant difference and enabled us both to deliver more for our constituents."

Alice has seen major changes in recent years and months with the coronavirus restrictions meaning council meetings have had to go online.

"COVID has changed life completely," she said. "A great regret is not being able to see colleagues over the past few years. I will be glad to see the back of remote meetings. People sit back and participate less than if they were in a room.

"Looking back over the years, technology has made such a difference to being a councillor. We used to have hundreds of letters a week and now you don't see a letter apart from two constituents who still write to me. It is all done by messenger or email."

Alice is now looking forward to having more time after the May elections.

"The plan was to do a lot of gardening but my knee is a bit dodgy so that may stop that. I suppose I will go on more holidays. I am not completely retiring though. There's a referendum to be done. I will be out there fighting for independence."

Following Cllr McGarry's decision to retire, the SNP candidates for the local elections for ward six will be current councillor David Barratt along with Aberdour resident Sarah Neal.

Cllr Barratt paid tribute to his departing colleague.

"Cllr McGarry has been an incredible mentor over the past five years and will be missed locally and in the council," he said. "36 years is quite a long shift as an elected representative and I wish her a very happy retirement."