Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Brutal cuts proposed by council
PERTH and Kinross Council is planning a series of cuts ahead of this year’s budget.
Officers have made a number of recommendations as the council looks to balance its books, which may also mean the price of parking and school meals could increase.
Axing council-run events will save £220,000 and could mean an end to the Christmas lights switch-on.
Officers say this would hit Perth’s economy and result in fewer visitors to the city. They also fear a lack of free events would have an unfair impact on lower-income residents.
Removing school crossing patrollers will save £89,000 over two years, with the report suggesting it is up to parents to ensure children get to school safely.
Council staff will still be on hand to help plan safe travel routes for children, and where no safe walking route can be found for children accompanied by an adult, transport will be funded by the council.
Cutting primary swimming lessons from this August will save £60,000.
The report says it may lead to children from low-income families losing out on swimming, although it adds children from rural schools may benefit from “less time out of the classroom”.
The closure of breakfast clubs will save £98,000 over three years.
The clubs were introduced in targeted areas to provide breakfast before school for pupils who may miss out – however, uptake has been low since the introduction of a £2 charge for breakfast. The council admits this would most impact parents looking for childcare and low-paid female employees.
Reducing the local bus services will save £775,000, with the council considering axing the whole budget for local bus services due to it being “non-statutory”.
However, chiefs say this would have a “significant impact on public transport travel opportunities, not just in rural areas, but also in parts of Perth city” and that it would have the greatest impact on those in poverty and harm the council’s aims to tackle climate change.
Cuts to the road maintenance budget will save £187,000 over three years, while the complete removal of adult literacy services will save £180,000 over two years.
Reducing funding to Pitlochry Festival Theatre by 23% over the next three years will net the council £24,000.
Other services that may be impacted include the removal of out-of-hours treatment to paths in winter outwith Perth city centre and ending manual street cleaning.
Proposals could also include changes to the school day, which would see two or three longer days and two or three shorter days by making every period 50 minutes long.
As well as cuts, the council is also proposing to increase the costs of some of its services.
This includes parking charges, which could rise by as much as 4%.
Charges for garden waste permits could also increase to £45 per bin in 2025, raising £180,000.
It is also possible that the price for school meals, which have been frozen since 2018, could rise by as much as 36% in 202425 to backdate inflation, followed by further 3% rises in each of the following two years.
Councillors will now decide whether to approve recommendations made for the budget or make amendments at a full council meeting this coming Wednesday.