Council budgets: Perth and Kinross finds money for schools in time of cuts
Perth and Kinross Council announced a £62m programme of investment in its schools over the next five years at its annual budget meeting.
The Council Chambers in Perth.
- By Paul Reoch
- Published in the Courier : 10.02.12
- Published online : 10.02.12 @ 03.22pm
The local authority agreed to the ''rolling programme'' which will see new primary schools built at Oakbank, Perth, and Alyth.
There will also be additional ''significant'' upgrading of Perth Grammar School, which will include modern IT facilities.
Perth Academy will also have a new sports hall. The funding will also contribute towards the construction of a new primary school at Oudenarde.
At Thursday's budget meeting, council leader Ian Miller told members at the Council Chambers in Perth that ''there is no financial crisis'' in Perth and Kinross and that they will also invest a further £61m in council houses, signifying the ''first council housing'' to be built in ''a generation''.
It is aimed at improving council housing stock and building new council homes. It will include building affordable housing for rent and is a ''key priority''.
Mr Miller said that, apart from West Lothian, Perth and Kinross had the biggest rise in population expansion in the country.
In addition, the council is awarding £250,000 to help tackle the problem of youth unemployment in the area. This will include money for 40 young people to take up employment with the council.
The council will spend £247,000 on ''protecting vulnerable'' people. This will consist of spending £100,00 to expand the council's welfare rights service and £63,000 will be invested in homelessness prevention and £84,000 is to be spent on expanding financial advice services to the public.
Part of this investment will be employing two homeless prevention officers and for a ''flatmate'' scheme where young people will share a property in central Perth.
Under the budget, the Band D council tax level will remain at £1,158 for the sixth year running.
''This budget is the result of forward planning and is perhaps the most important that this council has determined since the creation of Perth and Kinross Council in 1995,'' said Mr Miller.
''The significant level of investment proposed in this budget demonstrates that this council has a vision for the future. This programme will also provide a boost to the economy as it will provide jobs.
''The investment in education is our number one priority. We will be investing a further £20m, meaning that we will now be spending £62m on schools over a five-year period.
''The ongoing economic crisis is of concern in terms of the financial and business consequences for Scotland and Perth and Kinross.''
He continued: ''Our proposals will still leave the council in a healthy financial position. Looking forward, we will carry forward £3.6m to the next financial year and £4.2m the following year.
''This will help us during a time when demand for our services will continue to increase, in the face of a continued reduction in the resources we will receive from the UK Government. It's basically an insurance policy to mitigate that."
He added: "At the moment, 26% of pupils are in new schools in Perth and Kinross, but after this investment this will rise to 75%. Education is a key priority for us.''
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10.45am - 11.02.2012 Thornindaside - perth, scotland Report This
Don't see North Muirton Primary listed in the improvement/new build programme.How much account are they taking of the proposed large housing developemt flagged up for round Aviva/Buckie Braes/Broxden with the new build Oakbank School.Will they then have to build a footbridge over the Glasgow Rd?
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