Councillors have voted not to support an increase in Council Tax for those living in the higher E-H bands.
17.08.2023 - 16:01 / dailyrecord.co.uk
Perth and Kinross Conservatives have claimed essential council services are under pressure due to Scottish Government funding cuts.
Conservative group leader Cllr John Duff is concerned about the "extremely challenging financial circumstances" facing Perth and Kinross Council in the face of increased ring-fencing of funds from the Scottish Government.
But Local Government Empowerment Minister Joe FitzPatrick has dismissed the claims made by local Conservatives as untrue.
In its annual report - published in May - Audit Scotland warned the pandemic had affected performance across all service areas in Scotland's councils.
It said there were signs Scotland's adult social care sector is "in crisis" and warned housing and environmental services and culture and leisure were at risk.
Highland Perthshire councillor John Duff said: “Councils continue to face extremely challenging financial circumstances and the lack of adequate funding of local authorities by the Scottish Government over the last several years is a major factor. Audit Scotland has acknowledged this issue and the consequences of the Scottish Government’s increasing ring-fencing of a large proportion of council budgets - almost 23 per cent, for their priorities. Combined with demand and workforce pressures, council funding will reduce in real terms.
"Audit Scotland’s 2023 overview of the Local Government situation reports that several areas of council services are declining as a result, with performance in adult social care, housing and homelessness, environmental services and culture and leisure services being most at risk. With the cost of providing services increasing and the amount of money councils receive set to get less, savings in terms of staff numbers or the
Councillors have voted not to support an increase in Council Tax for those living in the higher E-H bands.
Fans are already feeling the heartache of having no new Outlander episodes until next year, with the long break in season seven.
Kourtney Kardashian and husband Travis Barker's "urgent family matter" has apparently been resolved. Last Friday (September 1), Blink-182 drummer Travis, 47, was forced to return home to America so that he could be there for his pregnant wife Kourtney, 44, who was hospitalised under mystery circumstances.
Campaigners have claimed a potential new renewable energy development on the outskirts of Coupar Angus would be a “disaster” for the surrounding area.
Popular Channel 4 series, The Traitors, will soon be returning as filming gets underway at Scotland's Ardross Castle.The show proved a hit over the Christmas period last year when 22 strangers competed for a £100,000 prize in a game of subterfuge and drama in the Gothic castle. Aerial photos of the castle show black cars arriving as this year's contestants make their way to the place they'll be staying for the next few weeks as the murder mystery game gets underway.
An emotional Luc Besson and his actors Caleb Landry Jones and Jonica T. Gibbs got a rapturous reception at the press conference for their Venice Film Festival movie DogMan.
There has been a rise in the number of reports from Perth and Kinross school staff who have managed challenging incidents with pupils.
welcome Andrew, 63, with open arms.The Duke of York was recently profiled in a scathing A&E doc called the “Secrets of Prince Andrew” about his escapades with convicted now-dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.A source recently dished to the Mirror how the monarch, 74, has “overruled” William by forcing the family to not shut out Andrew any longer while vacationing at Balmoral Castle.The Duke of Cambridge was spotted driving his uncle to church in Scotland last weekend, an act that Charles requested, according to the insider.A separate eyewitness alleged that Andrew’s appearance alongside William and his wife Kate Middleton, “while knowing they would all be photographed, has been seen as a major boost in the York camp towards the Duke’s rehabilitation.”This “public declaration of support from William and Kate” is “more than [Andrew] could have wished for.”However, despite the Prince of Wales being seen out and about with Andrew at events such as Charles’ coronation this past May, he has “absolutely no desire to be seen with the Duke in public.” There is also one former member of the Windsor clan who has been brought as a “broker” to help escort Andrew back into the royal fold: his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.Ferguson, who is also affectionately known as Fergie, has been staying at Balmoral Castle in Scotland alongside the family to help ease her ex back into the family’s good graces.An insider divulged to the Mirror that the Duchess of York, 63, “has been the life and soul of family gatherings” at the summer residence.She has even “been seen talking to the King and Prince William on several separate occasions.”This summer marks the British royals’ first return to Balmoral since the death of the Queen last September.
Two lifeboat crews were scrambled by the UK Coastguard on Tuesday evening to assist a 500-tonne vessel that ran aground in the north west of Scotland.
A Scottish Labour councillor has been charged in relation to alleged grooming offences following a police investigation in Fife.
Perth and Kinross schools could close in the autumn after support staff voted overwhelmingly to walk out over pay.
Some homeowners in Dumfries and Galloway are facing a potential council tax hike of 22.5 per cent.
It's the moment that Love Island fanatics across the nation have been waiting for - 2018 contestant and fan-favourite Laura Anderson is finally due to welcome her baby girl any minute now. However, the 34 year old ex-islander revealed on Sunday that her incoming addition - and first child - doesn't plan on making an appearance anytime soon and that Laura is now considered 'overdue'.Taking to Instagram to give her 1.5 million followers a pregnancy update, the Scottish beauty - who is expecting the youngster with Hollyoaks ex partner Gary Lucy - shared a jaw-dropping snap, showing off her blossoming baby bump in a set of black co-ords.
With summer coming to an end, the royal family have travelled to their Scottish estate of Balmoral, where the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away last September.The country will mark the one-year anniversary of her passing on September 8, and the royals have already arrived at what was thought to be her favourite royal estate. Senior royals, including King Charles and Queen Camilla, were photographed driving to a Sunday church service, held within the estate's grounds.They were joined by a number of other royals, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, who drove to the service in the same car as the disgraced Prince Andrew.
Scots face a "winter of worry" when it comes to paying fuel bills despite a slight drop in wholesale prices.
Local calls have returned urging the decriminalisation of personal drug use after the number of drug-related deaths in Perth and Kinross increased – despite a nationwide decrease.
Naman Ramachandran An estimated £617.4 million ($781.8 million) was spent on the production of film, TV and other audiovisual content in Scotland in 2021, compared to £398.6 million in 2019, up 55%, a new report has revealed. Commissioned by Screen Scotland and produced by Saffery Champness and Nordicity, the independent report titled The Economic Value of the Screen Sector in Scotland in 2021 found that significant growth was found in all areas of production, particularly inward investment film and High-End TV (HETV) production.
Production spend in the Scottish high-end TV (HETV) and film industries hit £617.4 million in 2021, an increase of 55% compared to 2019’s £398.6 million, according to statistics released today by Screen Scotland.
Pregnant former Love Island star Laura Anderson and her ex, Gary Lucy, have sparked rumours that they are back together. Laura, 34, announced that she was expecting a baby in February, however, the same day it emerged that she and ex-EastEnders star Gary, 41, had broken up.
Aa a teenager with a huge sense of adventure, desperate to step into adulthood and experience true independence, I started adventuring by rail.