Burials, parking and kids clubs hit

Refuse collection charges may also rise

The cost of dying in Perth and Kinross is set to go up, along with charges to get rid of household rubbish, send children to kids clubs and park cars.

Perth and Kinross Council will meet today (Friday, March 6) to agree next year’s budget, with councillors expected to rubberstamp millions of pounds-worth of cuts.

And hard-working Perth and Kinross families will also feel the pinch, with proposals put forward by officers including a range of fee increases.

Should the proposed budget be agreed, the cost of buying a lair in a council cemetery will go up from £907 to £934, while the cost of a burial will rise from £946 to £974.

At Perth Crematorium, cremation fees are set to increase from £688 to £709, while direct cremations, where there is no ceremony and remains are cremated in private, could increase from £503 to £518.

Other fees which could be going up include charges for getting rid of household waste.

The controversial garden waste permit, which was introduced in 2018, is set to increase to £35 per year, while officers recommend that dumping garden waste at a recycling centre should increase from £8.15 to £8.45 for a light van-full.

Although it will remain free for small items of waste to be dumped at recycling centres, anything more than a light van’s worth will see an increase in fees.

Fees for getting rid of a light van-full of general waste will increase from £30.50 to £32.15, while the maximum allowed (a large trailer-full) will increase from £99.30 to £104.80.

Other waste charges such as skip hire and special uplifts will also be increasing if the proposed budget goes ahead.

Despite the increase in fees for residents to get rid of their rubbish legally, fines for littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling are set to stay the same.

Motorists will also be feeling the pinch as parking charges and parking permits look likely to be increased at today’s budget as well.

Most car parking fees are set to be increased by between 10p and 20p.

Yearly parking permits for residents are expected to rise. For those living in inner Perth city centre it will go from £231 to £254 a year, and for outer Perth city centre from £132 to £145.

Meanwhile residents’ parking permits in Crieff, Blairgowrie, Pitlochry and Dunkeld will go up from £145 to £159.

And coaches wanting to park in Rie-Achan Road car park in Pitlochry may need to pay £4.80 each time, up from the current £4.40.

The PA reported earlier this week children are set to bear the brunt of budget cuts at Perth and Kinross Council - one of the other charges which may affect families is an increased cost for kids’ clubs.

Parents would need to pay £9.70 (up from £9.25) for their child to attend a kids’ club under the new proposals - the cost of each additional child would also increase from £8.80 to £9.20.

And for kids’ clubs which are open during school holidays and on in-service days, the cost is also increasing from £18.80 to £19 for up to five hours, £21 to £21.50 for between five and seven hours, and from £23.20 to £23.50 for more than seven hours.

When councillors meet in the council chambers today, they will also discuss a range of other fee hikes, including charges for copies of planning application documents, harbour dues, hiring out halls and sports pitches at community campuses, taxi driver licences and hiring out venues such as village halls.