Despite the significant financial challenges facing all local authorities this year, Perth & Kinross Council has agreed a 3.9% council tax increase for 2023/24, equivalent to less than a pound a week more for a Band D property.

Councillor Grant Laing, leader of the council, said: “At a challenging time, when budgets are stretched and many of our residents are feeling the strain, I am proud that we have today been able to agree a budget which strikes a balance between focusing on the people most in need, helping our local communities, and investing for the future.

“From the beginning of this term we have put tackling poverty and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis at the top of our agenda. Today we have reaffirmed that commitment with over £1.5m1 of investment in projects to support local residents most in need, including £600,000 to fund projects aimed at helping our communities deal with the cost of living crisis.”

Councillors also agreed to invest £100,000 to provide further support to families and children in poverty.

Councillors also voted to support households most in need by removing breakfast club charges and keeping school meals charges at 2023/24 rates. The agreed budget also maintains existing school crossing patroller and Educational Psychology provision.

There will also be an investment of £100,000 to provide study support in schools over the Easter holidays for senior secondary pupils ahead of their exams. There will also be £120,000 to pay for food and fun activities during school holidays.

As a result of the agreed revenue budget there will be a minimal impact on council staff numbers. A small reduction in staff numbers is likely to be achieved through managing existing vacancies and staff turnover.

Street cleaning and winter maintenance reductions were also rejected by councillors, and the existing services will be enhanced with extra investment to add grit bins to new locations and to tackle anti-social fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling.

Tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies also remains a priority for the administration, which is providing £75,000 to support biodiversity in open spaces.

There will also be a £250,000 investment to provide electric vehicle charging points in rural areas. The council is also being asked to find £2 million of energy efficiency savings. There was also support for public transport as a proposal to reduce the budget for local bus services was rejected.

Councillor Laing said: “This budget supports our underlying priority to work in partnership with communities, recognising the value of local knowledge and what residents can contribute to the place where they live. In this budget we’ve included £90,000 of investment in work to discourage and take action against the minority of people who fly-tip, litter or don’t pick up after their dogs which then negatively affects how the vast majority of residents feel about their area.

“We’ve also recognised the value of the local voluntary organisations who support people and communities in need by including a 7.5% increase for 2023/24 in the funding we provide to them, to help with the additional costs they are facing. Plus, an additional £100,000 specifically to support mental health self-help groups, who are in so much demand during this difficult time, to provide out of hours support for people experiencing mental health crisis.”

To support businesses to work towards economic recovery, councillors opted against proposed savings which would have impacted on events aimed at attracting visitors back into retail centres, city and town centre management services and help to bring vacant properties back into use.

There is also £150,000 being invested to carry out a review of all the council’s leisure and cultural assets to ensure best use is being made of them.

Councillor Laing explained: “While the council is facing difficult financial decisions it is also important to be aware of the impact of the choices we make. Retaining our city and town centre management initiatives helps support our small, independent businesses and the economies of our town centres.

“Likewise, we have today reinstated most of the budget for events, both council-run and council-supported, which help bring vibrancy and attract both residents and visitors into our city and town centres. We are instead shifting the balance of how these are funded by adding a £100,000 income target to prioritise seeking sponsorship. This will offset the burden on the public purse while still retaining the most popular of the events, which will be the most attractive ones to prospective sponsors.”

Councillor Laing added: “This budget invests in our children and families, it invests in our economic wellbeing, it invests in our communities, it invests in climate change and in our infrastructure. It also minimises the financial impact on all our households with a Council Tax rise significantly below inflation.

“It is a budget designed to ensure that our residents and our communities can remain confident in all that our council stands for. It is a budget which focuses on protecting people and protecting our vital assets.”