Perth and Kinross Council Budget Consultation 2026-2027

Overview

As a Council we remain committed to serving the people and communities of Perth and Kinross and delivering the best possible services that we can within the resources at our disposal. 

In doing this we recognise that we need to continually consider what makes the biggest difference to those in the greatest need. Meanwhile, we are experiencing increasing demands for services causing increased pressures on the resources we have available to meet these demands. For example, as the population of Perth and Kinross gets older, and people have increasingly complex needs, we have seen significant increases in health and social care costs.

Increasing costs across the board, coupled with demand for our services, means we have to make difficult decisions about where we commit our resources.

We also need to continue with long-term planning to ensure that we are prepared for the future.

Agreed three-year Council budget

The 2025/2026 budget agreed by Perth and Kinross Council in February 2025 prioritised continued support for residents with the greatest need, protected frontline jobs, and empowered communities to be at the heart of local decision-making and activity.

Despite the costs of providing essential services continuing to rise, flexibility from a three-year Council Tax strategy and additional funding from the Scottish Government meant that Councillors were able to provisionally agree a budget for each of the years to March 2028 which prioritises services for the most vulnerable, avoids further public sector job cuts, and invests in community empowerment and business growth. 

A 9.5% council tax increase was agreed as part of the 2025/2026 budget.

To ensure that frontline services continue to be protected, provisional council tax increases were also agreed for the next two years:

• 9.5% for 2026/2027
• 6% for 2027/2028

This means that Council Tax would provisionally increase by 9.5% in 2026/2027. This represents a £2.81 weekly increase, or £12.17 a month for a Band D property.

However, Councillors will make a final decision on council tax levels for 2026/2027 at a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council in March 2026, when proposals will be put forward and the Council budget agreed.

Why your views matter

To help guide our decisions when proposing a Council budget for 2026/2027, we’re looking for your feedback on what is most important to you and your community. We want to ask what you think about our priorities, and where we should invest for the future.

We also want to understand where you would prefer any budget savings to come from. Which service areas do you most want to see protected, and where are you willing, if necessary, to accept reductions (by stopping or reducing frequency), or by offsetting costs through charging to protect those services?

The answers you give to these questions will inform budget decisions facing Councillors early next year, when they will have to agree a balanced budget for 2026/27 and beyond.

Give us your views

Please give us your views by completing the following online survey. You are able to save your response and return later to complete and submit.

Thank you for taking the time to contribute your thoughts.