Corporate Plan 2022/23 to 2027/28

Welcome to our Corporate Plan 2022/23-2027/28 (PDF) [796KB] . This plan sets out our vision for a Perth and Kinross, where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality. It proposes a number of key priorities for the next five years. It also reflects the principles of what was previously known as the Perth and Kinross Offer - our commitment to better engage with people and communities and ensure that you have your say and are involved at an earlier stage in our strategic planning discussions. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed. We have listened to the feedback and this final version reflects the careful consideration of everything we have heard from our communities, elected members, partner organisations and our staff about what is important for Perth and Kinross, and the part we as the Council can play in achieving the ambitions of residents.

We are committed to serving the people and communities of both place and interest and delivering the best possible services that we can within the resources at our disposal. In doing this we recognise that our focus requires us to continually consider the services which make the biggest difference to those in greatest need.

The pandemic of recent years has only added to the significant and increasingly complex challenges we face. With the cost-of-living crisis and increasing levels of poverty the equalities gap we were working to address has widened and our local economy, like others has been hard hit. Alongside this, demands for services are increasing while facing reductions in the resources we have to meet these demands. All of this will mean difficult decisions on where we commit our resources and will require reductions in some areas.

Despite the challenges that our communities and the Council face, we have shown in our response to Covid that we are at our best when we work together with communities to provide much-needed support to vulnerable people. We are committed to building on those positive relationships and the development of local support networks to change the way we work with and within our communities. 

We will work with and within communities to deliver on these priorities in their areas in a way that recognises local needs and infrastructure. We recognise that there may be requests for investment and support from communities which we are unable to meet. In those cases, we will support communities to come together, connect with other relevant partners and identify alternative sources of funding and resources to help them make their local ambitions a reality.

While this is a five-year plan, we know that there will be things outwith our control that will change. We will regularly monitor our performance against each of the key priorities to ensure that they are still relevant and effectively contribute to our vision for a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.

Councillor Grant Laing, Council Leader	Thomas Glen, Chief Executive

Our vision

Our vision is for a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.

To achieve this we will work with and within our communities to ensure that:

• Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated and confident in their ability to realise their full potential
• People and businesses are increasingly able to  prosper in a local economy which supports low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all
• People can achieve their best physical and mental health and have access to quality care and support when they need it
• Communities are resilient and physically, digitally and socially connected
• Perth and Kinross is a safe and vibrant place, mitigating the impact of climate and environmental change for this and future generations

Our priorities

These seven priorities are those which we think the Council can directly influence and have the most impact on, and those which are most important to delivering our vision of Perth and Kinross as a place where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.

As Council resources are limited our priorities will also act as a guide when making difficult decisions about where to invest our funding and staff time and how to make best use of other assets.

The priorities are presented in summary form as a graphic to show the interdependencies that exist between them and the fact that each priority is dependent upon the delivery of the others. In full they are:

• Working in partnership with communities
• Tackling poverty
• Tackling climate change and supporting sustainable places
• Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy
• Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential
• Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people
• Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing

Each priority has a page in this document including context and details of the activities that we will undertake to achieve them. 

Our key principles

Delivery of the priorities will be underpinned by our key principles:

• Focusing on need informed by evidence and data, rather than demand
• Working with our communities and partners, and putting people first
• Being a visible and valued part of our communities, engaging with and being accessible and responsive to our residents
• Prevention and early intervention to help achieve the best long-term results for people
• Supporting our workforce to be the best, ensuring they are well-trained and empowered to make decisions
• Making best use of available assets including transferring or otherwise disposing of those which can best serve the community in a different way
• Remaining true to our organisational values of integrity, compassion and ambition

Defining our performance indicators

Each of our priorities are supported by a series of performance indicators. We have classified each indicator as control, influence or inform. This shows the distinction between indicators which the Council has direct control over, in terms of the services we provide and how we deliver these, what we can influence but which is also impacted by factors outwith our control, and those which we have no direct control or influence over, but which inform our decision making. 

Risks

Our Strategic Risk Register is regularly updated to reflect the risks to the organisation. Many of the priority areas highlighted in this corporate plan are already reflected in our risk register. In early 2023 we will review our risk register to ensure that any additional risks associated with the delivery of our priorities are identified and actions to mitigate these progressed. 

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated, and confident in their ability to realise their full potential
• People and businesses are increasingly able to prosper in a local economy which supports low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all

Key actions

• Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living in Perth and Kinross
• Mitigate cost of living pressures for households experiencing or at risk of poverty
• Maximise income from benefit entitlement and concessions for households
• Promote and encourage local employers to follow the principles of the Scottish Government Fair Work Action Plan, including the real Living Wage and Scottish Business Pledge

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [38KB] for these actions.

Context

Perth and Kinross has a reputation as an affluent place to live with higher than average rates of employment. However, many children and households experience the damaging effects of poverty and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and current cost of living crisis present significant challenges for many of our households.

Our mix of rural and urban areas means the experience of poverty may be different for people depending on where they live, with a rural poverty premium for people living outside our large settlements. Precarious employment, and costs and availability of affordable housing, transport, and childcare alongside additional costs for essential goods and services mean living in one of our rural areas can be particularly difficult.

Approximately one in four children in Perth and Kinross are living in poverty. That's 5,155 children. The causes and impacts of child poverty are complex. There is no single solution to poverty as each household's circumstances will differ, but the Council, with partners, will lead action to prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living in Perth and Kinross.

The cost-of-living crisis will impact on all households and many will struggle to meet essential household costs such as heating their homes, putting food on the table and paying for goods and services, The crisis has driven the need for greater focus and action to protect our most vulnerable residents.

Whilst no single service or agency has the power to end poverty, by working in partnership with the Community Planning Partnership and our communities there is much we can do to make the lives and life chances of those living in poverty better and brighter. That is why we supported the launch of the Perth and Kinross Anti-Poverty Taskforce in October 2022 which will help drive partnership work on this issue.

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• Perth and Kinross is a safe and vibrant place, mitigating the impact of climate and environmental change for this and future generations

Key actions

• Support the prioritisation of sustainable, cleaner and greener transport in line with the National and Regional Transport Strategies
• Improve the energy efficiency of our Council housing stock and public buildings, and encourage our partners and private householders to consider where they can make improvements
• To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment
• To adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change on the way we operate

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [39KB] for these actions.

Context

In November 2022, the Council declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency. While climate change is a global problem, the impacts are felt locally, and we all need to work together if we are going to mitigate the impact of climate change and address the causes.

Councillors unanimously backed the Perth and Kinross Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan in December 2021. This sets out detailed actions for how the Perth and Kinross area will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045. The Perth and Kinross Climate Action website (opens new window) provides the most up-to-date look at the progress of the action plan and information on community climate action projects and groups.

In setting our actions under this priority we have tried to focus on those which we can deliver either ourselves or by working closely with established partners. However, in this area more than any other it is important that we lead by example embedding a climate aware approach into every part of our work, minimising the impact we have and planning for a sustainable future.

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• People and businesses are increasingly able to prosper in a local economy which supports low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all
• Communities are resilient and physically, digitally and socially connected

Key actions

• Support and promote business growth, business and place innovation and investment in both our urban and rural areas
• Invest in innovative green power and smart technology solutions to reduce reliance on electricity from the national grid and create opportunities for business growth and regeneration
• Promote what our city and towns have to offer to businesses, investors and tourists by capitalising on built and natural heritage and assets such as the new Perth Museum and the benefits to the whole area of Perth's status as UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art
• Support individuals into work and to progress into better paid work, encouraging businesses to access initiatives to create new opportunities for those furthest from the employment market and those currently in low wage jobs

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [48KB] for these actions.

Context

Perth and Kinross has a diverse, broad-based economy. However, the area's acknowledged challenge is the proportion of jobs in tourism, agriculture and hospitality - sectors which were significantly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In view of the very challenging UK economic picture at the time of finalising this document our ambitions for the local economy must be both realistic and achievable. Our initial focus is therefore on working in partnership with others to ensure that our local economy is ready and able to seize opportunities that arise through national economic recovery, and to attract new jobs to the area in sectors such as green power and smart technology solutions.

During the pandemic we agreed a joint approach to economic recovery with local business leaders, and the Council's commitment to this work will contribute to our actions under this priority.

Over the lifetime of this Corporate Plan, our long-term investment in developing our cultural offer will come to fruition with the opening of the new museum, and new home to the Stone of Destiny, within the former Perth City Hall in 2024. In late 2021, Perth also became a UNESCO Creative City as a City of Crafts and Folk Art, creating another powerful asset with which to develop and promote the area as a cultural tourism destination.

Community wealth building

In our contribution to developing the local economy we will take the principles of community wealth building into account. This is an approach to local economic development which re-directs wealth back into the local area. As a council we will seek to, wherever possible, positively use our commissioning and purchasing power and our facilities and land assets so that local businesses and communities benefit from financial and social gain. This is a new way of working and we will continue to develop our approach and learn from the experiences of our Tay Cities Region Deal partners and public sector groups across Scotland who are introducing this way of working.

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated, and confident in their ability to realise their full potential

Key actions

• Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
• Reduce the poverty-related attainment gap
• Ensure that Looked After Children and children and young people with additional support needs achieve health, wellbeing and education outcomes comparable with their peers

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [96KB] for these actions.

Context

Just over 16% of residents of Perth and Kinross are aged under 16, which is in line with the 16.9% of the Scottish population in this age group. 

All of the priority areas set out in this corporate plan impact on our children and young people. As set out earlier in this document, too many children in Perth and Kinross are living in poverty. Activity to tackle the causes and mitigate the impact of poverty on households will also benefit young people who are part of these families. That will make an essential contribution towards enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential.

While overall attainment and pupils meeting developmental and educational milestones is high across Perth and Kinross, when this is broken down to look at factors such as children living in poverty there is a clear gap between the outcomes for children from a deprived background and those from more affluent households. The gap has narrowed in recent years; however, this remains a priority focus area as we seek to further reduce the poverty-related attainment gap.

We remain committed to Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC). We want children and young people in Perth and Kinross to be safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. We want to ensure that they and their families receive the help they need when they need it.

We have made good progress through our Corporate Parenting Plan to build the foundations to realise The Promise for local care experienced children. Our Promise to You (as set out in the corporate parenting plan) is that Perth and Kinross will be the best place for all our children and young people, especially those with care experience, to grow up. This activity will contribute towards achievement of the strategic outcome to ensure children grown up safe, respected, well-education and confident in their ability to realise their full potential.

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• Communities are resilient, physically, digitally and socially connected
• People can achieve their best physical and mental health and have access to quality care and support when they need it

Key actions

• Ensure we quickly identify children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse and take the necessary actions to keep them safe
• Ensure that people get the right care, accommodation and support where and when they need it
• Prepare for the establishment of the National Care Service and continue to strive for excellent health and social care outcomes for the people of Perth and Kinross
• Work with partners to reduce re-offending and support effective interventions for people in the justice system

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [94KB] for these actions.

Context

We have an older population compared to the rest of Scotland, with 17.1% of residents aged over 70 in 2018, compared to 13.6% of the national population, and this number is projected to continue to increase significantly.

We work to deliver services which are fair and inclusive for all of our citizens. We work with our equalities networks to understand specific issues which affect equality protected groups.

We are committed to protecting children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse. We have well-established relationships in place with partner organisations to ensure that together we can act quickly when issues arise and move to take the necessary actions to help keep people safe.

While the majority of our population are fit and active until much later in life the needs of those who do need help are increasingly complex. This tied with our large and varied geography presents a challenge to ensuring that care and support is available where and when people need it.

Since its creation in 2016, Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (PKHSCP) has been developing more integrated adult health and social care services across Perth and Kinross. While Children's and Families Services are not part of the PKHSCP, to ensure an effective approach to providing support at an early stage to prevent problems occurring, our services work closely with partners. 

The Scottish Government has committed to establishing a National Care Service by 2026 which will replace the existing Health and Social Care Partnerships and may also, subject to further consultation, incorporate children and families services and criminal justice services within that. We will continue to monitor the progress of the National Care Service and work to ensure that service users, staff and partners are fully supported and vulnerable community members continue to receive the best service we can provide within available resources.

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• People can achieve their best physical and mental health and have access to quality care and support when they need it

Key actions

• Work with partners to provide localised health and social care provision in areas of greatest need and in those most geographically distant from services
• Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by increasing overall participation in sport and physical activity and promoting the wellbeing benefits of time spent in our natural surroundings

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [42KB] for these actions.

Context

By identifying the root causes of issues and where early support can prevent or reduce the impact of issues arising, we can support and promote the physical and mental wellbeing of residents of all ages.

As part of our commitment to work in partnership with communities, we also recognise our role as advocates for our area. Where we cannot directly contribute towards making services available to those who need them where and when they are needed, we will use our position of influence to advocate for communities who are remote from health and social care provision or otherwise disadvantaged to have improved access to services which can improve the health and wellbeing of residents most in need.

We also work with community groups such as Saints Community Trust, Golf Memories and Perth and Kinross Disability Sport in recognition of the positive impact sport can have on both physical and mental wellbeing.

Perth and Kinross offers an incomparable setting for sport and physical activity with sports facilities within the city and our large towns of Aberfeldy, Auchterarder, Blairgowrie, Crieff, Kinross and Pitlochry. Alongside this, our natural environment offers a significant asset for encouraging people to live an active life, from our public golf course on the North Inch - one of the world's oldest golfing venues - to the over 2,000 kilometres of core paths which traverse the area. There's something for everyone. 

Encouraging people to use our natural assets is just as important as increasing the use of built facilities and participation in sports and activity programmes if we are to give people access to ways to improve their health and wellbeing.

Physical Activity and Sports Strategy 2023 - 2028 (PDF) [16MB]

This priority contributes to delivery of the following outcomes or aspects of our vision:

• Communities are resilient, physically, digitally and socially connected

Key actions

• Establish locality multidisciplinary teams working with our community planning partners and residents to identify and address local solutions to local needs
• Increase the supply and availability of rural housing
• Develop and expand our approach to working with communities to identify local actions and priorities and deliver on these together
• Deliver our internal cultural change programme ensuring all staff contribute to our commitment to engage with and be accessible and responsive to our residents and communities

View the performance measures and targets (PDF) [38KB] for these actions.

Context

The Perth & Kinross Offer Framework sets out our approach to putting people at the heart of everything we do and recognising that everyone has something to offer. It seeks to balance the relationship between people who design and deliver services and people who use them, drawing on the strengths and assets of individuals and communities to improve outcomes. 

We are working with our communities to listen and improve. We know that one size does not fit all, and communities have different challenges, demographics and priorities which need different solutions. What works in one place will not necessarily work in another. Location is also not the only definition of community, and communities of interest have their own experiences, challenges and support needs which may be separate or compounded by their geographic location.

That is why we need to listen to understand what matters most to the people with lived experience and the solutions that will work for them. These may be solutions we can support or enable rather than things the Council does, and so a partnership approach is key. 

Through our equality network arrangements which provide links between the Council and communities of interest. We will continue to develop on this work within geographic communities by establishing locality teams made up of different services and professionals who will work with and within each community to better understand their needs and develop local solutions.

Our Local Housing Strategy, which is under review at the time of writing, sets out our approach to the supply of affordable housing of the type people need in the places they want them. By highlighting the supply and availability of rural housing within this priority we are intending to highlight the importance of housing as a factor in sustaining our rural communities.