Short-term help with funding offered to Perth autism charity

A temporary financial lifeline is to be extended to help the charity Perth Autism Support continue to deliver vital services to local young people and their families.

Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside confirmed that they are seeking a meeting with the chairman of the charity to offer one-off funding of £30,000 – £15,000 from each organisation.

Senior officers within the council and NHS Tayside claimed they first became aware at the end of last week that Perth Autism Support was suspending services.

“Both the council and NHS Tayside’s absolute priority is to ensure that appropriate and reliable services are provided to support young people and their families in Perth and Kinross,” said a council spokesperson.

“We recognise the role Perth Autism Support has played over the years in supporting local people and we welcome their announcement yesterday that planned services will restart next week.”

Council leader, Councillor Ian Campbell, said: “I was pleased to hear that Perth Autism Support will be restarting planned services, which I am sure will be a great relief to the families they work with.

“I hope that the offer of funding from the council and NHS Tayside, matching that provided by the Scottish Government, will be accepted, and that Perth Autism Support will engage positively in discussions about how a similar situation can be avoided in the future.”

The council and NHS Tayside said the money is conditional upon receiving reassurances from the Perth Autism Support Board, including copies of the accounts for the organisation.