These proposals will be considered by councillors when they meet next week (28 February 2024) to consider these options and agree a balanced budget for the next three years.

In the face of mounting financial pressures, council staff have had to look even more closely and more critically at every area of business which is not essential to delivering statutory duties. These proposed cuts are required to balance out spending pressures from the increasing costs of delivery and higher levels of demand.

Council chief executive, Thomas Glen, said: “Like all councils in Scotland we are facing major challenges in meeting the demands on council services from the resources available to us. The proposals from officers are not put forward lightly.

“As public servants we are intent on, and directed by council, to help people who most need our support, and to working with partners to make this a better place to live for everyone in Perth and Kinross. But, we have to balance the demands against available resources and think differently about how we operate to be able to put forward these options for where we have to make further cuts whilst delivering on the council’s agreed priorities.

“The final decision on which cuts to accept and which to reject, or how else the budget should be balanced, will be made by councillors next week. But, whatever decisions are made our teams remain committed to continuing to work to deliver on our vision of a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.”

In addition to information from council staff on each of the proposals, councillors will also consider feedback from the annual budget consultation survey. This ran from 8 December 2023 to 7 January 2024 to gather public views on priorities for spending and areas of council business where respondents feel cuts should be targeted. Over 750 people responded to the survey, with cost of living challenges and education topping the list of priorities for those who responded. A summary of the feedback is included with the budget papers.

As part of changing the way the council delivers services to take account of increasing demands and financial pressures, council staff have been undertaking an ambitious transformation and change programme to better manage demand and focus resources on people and communities where data shows there is the greatest need. A progress update on this activity is also included in the report for next week’s meeting.

Thomas Glen explained: “We have already undertaken a lot of work over the past two years to review our processes and structures. Over £1.5m of savings are being delivered in this way this year, including through a reduction in our most senior leadership roles. We’re also on track to deliver another £5m of savings over the next two years by expanding our review of leadership roles and by transforming how we manage contracts and make best use of our buying power across the organisation.

“It is also important to acknowledge that, once again, the difficult decisions we are presented with place pressure on our greatest asset, our workforce. I am proud that our teams continue to do their very best for our communities, despite the uncertainties they are working within ahead of these decisions. We can never lose sight of the impact that many of these proposals, if accepted, will have on the number of people we have available to support individuals, families and communities, but we will continue to work with our teams and trade union colleagues to minimise the impact on our staff and identify opportunities to redeploy and retrain colleagues into other roles wherever possible.”