Ambitious Perth and Kinross Offer praised
the council has made many steady improvements, it needs to tackle underperforming services.
“The council can do this by developing action plans from its own evaluation and performance reports.
“It can also build on excellent existing partnerships and demonstrate how its engagement with communities influences decisions about services and budgets.”
Ms Murray singled out the ‘Perth and Kinross Offer’, saying: “An ambitious new way of working more closely with citizens and communities, the ‘Perth and Kinross Offer,’ has the potential to achieve considerable change in how services are designed and delivered.
“This will require significant drive and commitment from the council to ensure they reap the full benefits of this new initiative.”
The report also praised the council in a number of areas, in particular its “robust” financial planning and said the council had put itself in a good position to tackle the job of finding £52 million of savings over the next five years.
It also found residents were more satisfied with their council services than the national Scottish average.
Some specific areas that were highlighted as performing well were household waste recycling and care services. The council’s homelessness strategy was also praised.
Karen Reid, chief executive of Perth and Kinross Council, said she was positive about the report, and said the local authority is already looking to take steps to improve the areas highlighted in the document.
She said: “This balanced set of findings reflect a self-aware organisation, which performs well and has clear plans to do even better.
“We are glad to see that the Accounts Commission recognised our clear strategic objectives and effective leadership had provided the basis for improvement in services and the outcomes for the people of Perth and Kinross.
“That is why we will be focusing on reporting our performance objectively, in a way that is easy for people to understand - our forthcoming annual performance report will invite feedback to help us make sure we’re giving residents and customers the information they want.
“In addition, I am also happy that they have singled out the potential of the ‘Perth and Kinross Offer’ and the impact it could have on our citizens and communities.
Perth and Kinross chief executive Karen Reid
“In the coming months we will begin to have a conversation about the offer, to find out where the council and communities can work together to make a difference and improve people’s lives.”