Views sought as future cuts loom
‘Engagement sessions’before PKC budget
East Perthshire residents are to be given the chance to have their say on what they feel Perth and Kinross Council’s priorities should be in terms of spending.
The local authority has launched an online survey, backed by a series of public engagement sessions and conversations with community groups, to gather feedback on what people see as the most important issues facing the area.
A face-to-face engagement session is to be held from 1-3pm at Blairgowrie Community Campus on Monday, November 7.
Feedback will be used to inform the final corporate plan document for the council in December and budget decisions in February next year.
It comes just weeks after PKC finance chief Stewart Mackenzie told councillors the local authority could face having to bridge a funding gap in the region of £30million.
The Medium-Term Financial Plan 2023–29 was presented at a full council meeting on Wednesday, September 28.
The plan outlined how PKC is looking to manage its finances over the coming years and highlighted how Covid, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Brexit and a global energy crisis were all impacting the UK economy and the public purse.
An optimistic forecast predicts a £17.4m reduction between PKC’s forecast expenditure in 2023/24 and the council’s estimated funding.
The mid-range forecast is £30m and the pessimistic prediction is a £42.1m reduction.
Council leader Grant Laing has led the call for local input.
The SNP elected member for the Strathtay ward said: “I know that corporate plans can seem like dry documents, something which doesn’t mean much to the average resident.
“But, this corporate plan is important. It is real.
“The final version will be what officers turn to [in order] to provide the rationale for every proposal they bring to councillors.
“It will be what we as councillors turn to every time we consider whether a decision is in keeping with where we have promised the people of Perth and Kinross we will focus our attention.
“In its simplest terms, if it’s not a priority identified in the corporate plan, then it’s not something we will invest time, energy and money into, beyond maintaining our statutory obligations.”
The survey and engagement sessions will ask residents whether the draft vision and priorities contained within the council make sense as the key things which it should be focusing on over the next five years.
According to a PKC spokesperson, the current draft priorities are: to tackle poverty; to tackle climate change and support sustainable places; to grow a sustainable and inclusive local economy; to enable children and young people to achieve their full potential; to protect and care for the most vulnerable; to support and promote physical and mental wellbeing; and to “place communities at the heart of how we work”.
Cllr Laing went on to explain: “We are committed to serving the people and communities of Perth and Kinross and delivering the best possible services that we can within the resources we have.
“Like anyone trying to balance a budget just now that means having to cut our cloth accordingly and making difficult decisions about where we cut back spending.
“To help councillors make those decisions we’re looking for residents to tell us about what is most important to them and their communities, and where they are most willing to accept reductions.
“These service reductions could come in the form of stopping doing some things, reducing the standard or frequency of what we do, or offsetting costs through charging.
“None of this is going to be easy, but by working together, listening to residents and looking critically at what the council does and how we do it, we can focus our collective attention on the people most in need to ensure that Perth and Kinross is an area where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.”
The online survey is available until midnight on Sunday, November 20, and is available via the PKC website.
The website also includes information for the engagement sessions set to be held elsewhere in the region – all between the same times – prior to the deadline.