Perth fire victims offered financial support from Perth and Kinross Council
Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) will immediately allocate £250,000 to help Perth residents and businesses impacted by the devastating fire on Scott Street which tragically claimed the life of one man.
The Finance and Resources Committee today unanimously agreed to allocate the funding from the council's earmarked reserve for Communities.
At the Wednesday, June 18 meeting, councillors were asked to approve the financial move to support the local authority's response to and recovery from the fire.
It comes after a fire broke out at 41 Scott Street in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, destroying the entire sandstone building resulting in the loss of several homes and a popular pub, The Royal Bar.
Around 50 households have been displaced and several businesses have had to close, including the neighbouring That Bar and Loft Nightclub.
Tabling the motion to make the funding available, Perth and Kinross Council leader Grant Laing said it was important the local authority helped those most affected.
The SNP leader said: "It is still early days, and it is likely that there will be a call for other funding, but it is important that the council stands with our citizens and communities in their hour of need.
"So today I am proposing the immediate allocation of £250,000 from the Communities earmarked reserve to support those very communities. This initial package will provide enhanced support for people and for businesses as well as recognise that the council is incurring additional costs too.
"Specifically, as well as augmenting the Scottish Welfare Fund and Financial Insecurity Fund, this investment will assist residents affected by rent shortfalls, who are not eligible for other support.
"For businesses directly impacted by the demolition and closures, funding to support their immediate recovery costs as well as future expenses linked to reopening or relocation.
"Looking ahead, we may also look at how we encourage footfall back into the areas affected.
"And finally, resources for the immediate council response including, but not restricted to, traffic management, additional staff costs, building safety and homelessness.
"Clearly the council's response is still evolving. Therefore I further move that responsibility for the allocation of this funding will be delegated to the chief finance officer who will provide the committee with updates on its use at future meetings."
The move comes following last week's announcement the Scottish Government had activated the Bellwin Scheme. He said discussions between council officers and civil servants around wider financial support were ongoing.
Cllr Laing added: "However, that will take time.
"This motion is about getting financial support out to people and business now."
The motion was seconded by Finance and Resources Committee convener Stewart Donaldson and received the unanimous support of councillors.
Perth City Centre ward councillor Peter Barrett "wholeheartedly" supported the motion and praised the council response, which included a drop-in session on Tuesday for those impacted by the fire and subsequent road and building closures.
The Liberal Democrat councillor said: "I attended the drop-in event yesterday and was again really heartened by the council's ability to have all key agencies and essential support services gathered under one roof to assist the victims, the traumatised displaced residents and the businesses forced into closure."
"We need to be there for them. So the measures proposed in this motion are vital if we are to reduce the stress, the anguish and loss that people have suffered and are suffering. We cannot eliminate that but we can do our best to support people through the coming months."
Conservative group leader John Duff thanked Cllr Laing for bringing the motion to council.
Cllr Duff added: "The consequences of the fatal and catastrophic fire in Scott St are going to be with us for a long time to come.
"As a council, we have a duty to respond with assistance and I'm glad we've moved quickly to progress this initial funding."
Deputy council leader Eric Drysdale, who represents the Perth City Centre ward, added: "Many have lost everything they had.
"Others in neighbouring properties have also had to face significant challenges which will continue until they are able to get home safely, but the consequences of this tragedy will doubtless continue to affect them for months and years to come.
"Then there are the businesses who have had to close and who may not have had business interruption insurance, and also their employees will potentially be adversely impacted.
"Of course the financial effects are one thing, but we must also remember that one family has lost something even more precious, the life of a loved one, and I know they are grieving deeply as we all strive to take forward this recovery phase."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Perth and Kinross Council spent £3 million on consultants over the past three years
A Perth and Kinross councillor believes the rising spend on outsourcing work is an "inevitable consequence" of cuts to the local authority's budget Perth and Kinross Council has spent around £3 million - possibly more - employing the use of consultants over the past three years. Between 2022 and 2025 the local authority awarded 31 contracts for consultants often due to a lack of resources or in-house specialist knowledge. The contracts range from £594,300 (exc VAT) for its Perth People Place and Perth Transport Futures programme - which includes the Cross Tay Link Road project - to £5625 (exc VAT) on VAT advice for Perth's new leisure facility PH2O. Most of the figures are publicly available on the government's Public Contracts Scotland website and exclude VAT. However there were no financial figures published for four of the 31 contracts awarded to consultants by PKC between 2022 and 2025. PKC has suggested this may be due to the information being "commercially sensitive". Explanations as to why consultants were paid to do a job rather than council employees was provided by Perth and Kinross Council in response to a Freedom of Information request made by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. In many cases it was blamed on a lack of council resources. A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: "Payments for individual consultants vary depending on the length and nature of the work involved. "In some cases, costs may not be published if they were commercially sensitive; for example if supplier rates could be worked out from the value of the contract." In many cases - such as the review of the council's arm's-length external organisations (ALEOs) - PKC said contracting out the work saved the local authority money. A PKC spokesperson said: "We have saved money by going direct to a consultancy for the options appraisal exercise they have undertaken as this was carried out over a much shorter time period than the temporary post and at a lesser cost." Vice-convener of Perth and Kinross Council's Scrutiny and Performance Committee Labour councillor Alasdair Bailey believes the mounting figures are the "inevitable consequence of the years of real-terms cuts we've seen to council budgets". Bailie Bailey said: "This is something that I'll take time to dig into the detail of in order to find and question any cases where spends look excessive. I'd like to thank the Perthshire Advertiser for getting this information into the public domain. "The headline figures are concerning but - to put this into perspective - the use of consultants sometimes allows the council to do more without having to employ full-time permanent staff. These numbers are therefore an inevitable consequence of the years of real-terms cuts we've seen to council budgets. Gone are the days when a council the size of Perth and Kinross can justify having all the specialists in the building all of the time." The amount of taxpayers' money spent on consultant fees to provide services to Perth and Kinross Council has risen over the course of the the three years. In 2022/23 the total cost was £721, 573. It rose to £779,553 in 2023/25 before soaring to £935,210 in 2024/25. All costs indicated on the Public Contracts Scotland website exclude VAT. Costs not listed include two contracts awarded in 2023 and 2024 for a Development Control Works Package. Explaining the need for a consultant to provide the package, a PKC spokesperson said: "As part of the Flooding Teams duties, we provide non-statutory consultation to all proposed development applications across Perth and Kinross. While we endeavour to appraise these in-house, during times of increased workload or flooding events where resources are stretched it is not possible to maintain the service and therefore, we require to utilise the support of an external consultant to ensure a continuation of the planning response. The consultant is also occasionally tasked with undertaking design work or focussing on larger, more complex planning applications which may be out with the skill set currently within the Flooding team."
Daily Record
10-08-2025
- Daily Record
Perth and Kinross Council objection to super-sized solar farm in Coupar Angus sparks public inquiry
Councillors have voted to object to a 110MW battery and solar energy park on 105 hectares of prime agricultural land A public local inquiry has been sparked after Perth and Kinross councillors voted to object to a massive energy development on prime agricultural land. The 105-hectare plant is the latest of many renewable energy proposals for the Coupar Angus area, prompting concerns the Perthshire town - famed for its fertile land - was transforming into "Solar" Angus. On Wednesday, August 6 Perth and Kinross Council's (PKC) Planning and Placemaking Committee voted - against council officers' recommendation - to object to Stirling Battery and Solar Energy Park. Sirius EcoDev (Stirling) Ltd submitted an application to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to develop a 110MW energy plant on land between Burrelton and Coupar Angus, 600 metres north-west of Caddam Cottage, Keithick. The planning application is being considered by the Scottish Government's ECU due to it generating over 50MW of power. The 50MW battery storage system and 60MW solar energy park would be erected on prime agricultural land the size of over 146 football pitches. At Wednesday's meeting, councillors were simply asked whether or not PKC should object to the application as a statutory consultee. PKC'S Building Standards and Development Management service manager Kristian Smith reminded councillors the National Planning Framework 4's (NPF4) policy "allows this sort of energy development proposal on prime agricultural land". He said council officers had considered the cumulative impact and deemed it as being "acceptable". However, uncertainty does still loom over the controversial nearby 91-hectare Markethill Solar Farm proposal, which drew 173 objections. It was refused by councillors in December 2023. The decision was subsequently appealed and called in by Scottish Ministers. Mr Smith said: "It's been sitting with Ministers since May of last year and we have chased multiple times to get a decision and that has not - as yet - been forthcoming. "It would have been very helpful to have had an outcome on that application over the last year and a half but, notwithstanding, we've still taken into account that proposal and feel the cumulative impacts related to the proposals that are subject to this consultation are acceptable." Conservative councillor Keith Allan said: "What is the ceiling? Where do we feel the line is where we would say, 'we can't consider that'?" He added: "Looking at the map, and the bits that have previously gone under consideration, it seems excessive. If this all goes ahead, we can change its name from Coupar Angus to Solar Angus." Liberal Democrat councillor Claire McLaren added: "The frustration is the recognition food producing land (prime agricultural land) - where there is only eight per cent in Scotland - is being overlooked within NPF4. Food supply to food retailers is an important matter and there is a cumulative impact on that." Conservative Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Bob Brawn moved to formally object to the application. He said he did not object to renewable energy developments but added: "The important thing is they have to be in the right place. And I feel that over the past few months we are slowly seeing Coupar Angus potentially becoming some form of industrialised site for solar farms and in doing so we're losing prime agricultural land. "Our own policy says prime agricultural land should be protected and it does allow it for essential infrastructure. I would argue that, at the moment, this is not essential and the cost of losing agricultural land - in this instance and what we have seen and what is already approved - is getting to the point of too much." Cllr Brawn suggested national planning policy makers perhaps did not believe "prime agricultural land would be thrown at developers like this". He said: "That wasn't the spirit of what NPF4 was about. It was about producing renewable energy in the right place at the right time. I feel we're witnessing abuse of NPF4, simply by people throwing prime agricultural land out to do this." PKC objecting will trigger a local public inquiry, which Cllr Brawn welcomes. He said: "I think a public local inquiry is deserved in this instance in this area. I think it would be a good thing for everyone whatever the outcome is. People will get their chance to speak." Cllr Ian James seconded the motion. SNP councillor Ian Harvey tabled an amendment not to object. Cllr Richard Watters seconded the amendment with the proviso "a thorough investigation is done into the cumulative impact on prime agricultural land around Coupar Angus and across Perth and Kinross". Seven councillors - four Conservatives, one Lib Dem, one Independent and local Strathmore ward SNP councillor Grant Stewart - voted to object to the Coupar Angus development. The remaining four SNP councillors voted not to object to the development. Convener SNP councillor Ian Massie thanked councillors for their votes and said: "Therefore that means the consultation goes forward with an objection from Perth and Kinross Council."
Daily Record
10-08-2025
- Daily Record
Excitement as £80 million new Perth High School building opens to pupils this month
Work is now under way moving equipment and resources into the new building ahead of pupils returning to school Perth High School headteacher Martin Shaw is excited to welcome staff and pupils into the new building later this month. The new £80 million Perth High School is complete and will open to pupils on August 21. Mr Shaw sees it as a "proud moment" and a chance to "raise the bar". Work is now under way to transfer school resources and equipment into the new building. Perth High School staff will start the 2025/26 session with an in-service day on Monday, August 18 followed by two exceptional closure days to allow teachers to unpack and set up their classrooms. Perth High School pupils will enter their new school on Thursday, August 21 - with all other Perth and Kinross Council schools opening to pupils for the new term on Tuesday, August 19. The new Perth High School has been built on the school's existing Oakbank Road site. The previous building - built in 1971 - was rated "C" or "poor" for suitability. The secondary is Perth and Kinross Council's largest school. The new building will accommodate up to 1,600 pupils and 140 staff over three storeys. Like Perth's Riverside Primary, it has been built by Robertson Construction Tayside to Passivhaus building design standards in order to save energy. Planning permission for the new Perth High was first granted back in March 2022. It was originally due to open in August 2024 but the opening was delayed by a year due to "challenges within the construction industry". In June 2022, PKC's head of business and resources Greg Boland told the Property Sub-committee, the build had been affected by "the implications of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and also currently the war in Ukraine which is causing a lot of issues regarding supply, tender prices and material prices". The cost soared from an initial budget of £50 million in 2021 to ultimately costing £80.2 million. Half of the capital cost is being met by the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Investment Programme. Perth High School Headteacher, Martin Shaw said this week: "Moving into our new school building marks a bold new chapter for Perth High School. It is a chance to raise the bar, bringing our values of ambition, respect and equity to life in a space designed for excellence and equity. "With removals under way and preparations in full swing, we are focused on setting the tone for the year ahead, raising expectations in everything we do, from effort and attitude to how we carry ourselves each day. "This is a proud moment for our school and wider community and we are excited to welcome all our school staff and pupils to the new Perth High School in August." Vice-convener of PKC's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee and local Perth City South ward Lib Dem councillor Liz Barret said: "I'm delighted that Perth High School has been delivered on time, to provide modern 21 st century facilities for pupils and staff. "The building to Passivhaus standards - including solar panels - means that energy use will be reduced, helping us to address the climate emergency."
