Perth & Kinross Council Budget Consultation 2021/22
Results updated 19 Sep 2023
Thank you to all who responded to the Perth & Kinross Budget Consultation 2021/22. The response has increased from last year’s Budget Consultation. This increase was achieved even with all engagement being carried out virtually and no face to face discussions taking place. We are aware that 2020 was a unique and uncertain year for everyone and this will impact upon the nature and number of responses received.
Results were reported to our elected members in January 2021 and will feed into the process to decide on the Council’s budget for 2021/22 and beyond. You can view the full report here.
When asked to share ideas that could help the Council save money or generate additional revenue, many respondents offered multiple suggestions for reducing expenditure, generating income and protecting specific services. Comments cover a range of themes, but largely fall into six main categories: Workforce; Service Delivery; Local Economy; Physical Assets; Charges and Business Processes. Commonly recurring themes as in the previous year are:
- reducing spend on events and “vanity projects”;
- reducing Perth & Kinross Council staff numbers/costs (largely focused on managerial positions and Councillors);
- the value of volunteers and community groups in helping the Council deliver services;
- improving efficiency within Perth & Kinross Council.
Other common themes this year are:
- environment and sustainability (many of these comments are linked to transport and energy efficiency);
- generating revenue from Council buildings by renting/leasing to community groups etc
- revival of Perth City Centre;
- business incentives;
- requests to abandon the "Cross Tay Link Road" project.
All individual comments have been made available to executive officers and elected members.
Feedback is in keeping with our wider consultation and engagement themes and reflects the areas most important to people in Perth and Kinross. This information is also vital and in taking forward the Perth and Kinross Offer.
Perth and Kinross councillors will be asked to approve an updated Net Revenue Budget for 2021/22 of £387 million when they meet on Wednesday 10 March 2021. Papers are available here.
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 as well as respond to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
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.
Give us your views
Please give us your views by completing the following online survey. The survey will take approximately 5-10 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
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