Perth & Kinross Council Budget Consultation 2020/21

Closed 16 Feb 2020

Opened 6 Jan 2020

Contact

Democratic and Business Support

Communications@pkc.gov.uk

Results updated 13 Mar 2020

Thank you to all who responded to the Perth & Kinross Budget Consultation 2020/21. All  comments submitted to the Consultation have been passed to elected members.

Results were reported to Full Council on 6th March 2020 and fed into the process to decide on the Council’s budget for 2020/21 and beyond.You can view the full committee papers here. 

The agreed budget rejected a savings proposal that was made to remove all remaining school crossing patrollers within Perth and Kinross. However, the decision approving the removal of school crossing patrollers operating on light controlled or zebra crossings, agreed at Lifelong Learning Committee on 30 January 2019, is unaffected by this latest budget saving rejection.

Proposals to increase costs of instrumental music tuition and to cut primary school swimming provision were also rejected, meaning these services will continue in their current form.

A council tax increase of 4.28% was decided.

Links:

Overview

Like all councils, we are preparing for very significant financial challenges ahead. Inflation has pushed up the prices we pay for supplies such as fuel, as well as wages. The funding we receive has not kept pace with this inflation. There is also more demand on our services than ever before as we work to support a growing older population.

There are increasing restrictions on the areas where we can make savings. Some of our funding is protected (only allowed to be spent on certain services) and some is only available to us if we maintain service levels.

Why your views matter

To help us make informed decisions, we need to ask what you think about our priorities and how we should make savings as budgets tighten. We also want to know your thoughts on changing council tax, and any ideas you have for helping us to make more money.

Where Does the Council Get Money From?

Most of our funding comes in the form of a grant from the Scottish Government. Some of this money is protected and can only be spent on specific services.  Some is only given to us if we maintain defined service levels. Around 70% of our total budget is protected money and so we have little or no influence on how this money is used.

Almost 20% of our income comes from council tax, and we have one of the highest collection rates of council tax in the country. A further 12.5% comes from non-domestic rates (business rates). The level of non-domestic rates is set by the Scottish Government. We collect the rates on behalf of the Scottish Government and this income is shared between all councils in Scotland.

Over 20% of our income is from charges, for example charging for skip hire, football pitch hire, or for processing a planning application.

We also hold some money in reserves – like a savings account. It’s important that we have reserves to cover unexpected costs and they can only be used once. They can also generate some money in interest.

How Does the Council Spend Your Money

Give Us Your Views

Please give us your views by completing the following online survey. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes. You are able to save your response and return later to complete and submit.

What happens next

A summary of responses will be included in the report considered by the Council when agreeing the budget.

Areas

  • All Perth & Kinross

Audiences

  • Amnesty Groups
  • Area Partnerships
  • Businesses
  • Campaign Groups
  • Community Councils
  • Community Groups/Organisations
  • Community Planning Partners
  • Developers/Investors
  • Education Institutions
  • Environmental Groups
  • Housing Associations
  • Local Authorities (External)
  • Partner Agencies
  • PKC Employees
  • Professional Bodies
  • Public Sector Bodies
  • Rural Communities
  • Stakeholder Organisations
  • Tenants and Residents Associations
  • Transport Groups
  • Unions
  • Voluntary Groups/Organisations
  • Asylum Seekers and Refugees
  • Children and Young People
  • Civil and Public Servants
  • Council Tenants
  • Elected Members
  • Homeless People
  • Jobseekers
  • Landowners
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People
  • Licence Holders
  • Low Income Households
  • Men
  • Minority Ethnic Groups
  • MSPs, MPs, MEPs
  • Older People
  • Parents, Carers and Guardians
  • People with Disabilities
  • Public Transport Users
  • Road Users
  • Service Users
  • Students (Further Education)
  • Visitors and Tourists
  • Volunteers
  • Women
  • All Residents of Perth and Kinross

Interests

  • Budgets and Spending