Latest news with #PKC
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Perth and Kinross councillor calls for urgent review of national planning policy on retail developments
The Planning and Placemaking Committee convener believes the current policy on retail developments "lacks coherence" and risks "stifling competition" Perth and Kinross Council's (PKC) planning convener has written to the Scottish Government saying there is an "urgent need" for a review of national planning policy regarding retail. SNP councillor Ian Massie - who wrote to Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee on behalf of PKC's Planning and Placemaking Committee - said the current policy "lacks coherence" and "will not strengthen town centre High Streets". Cllr Massie's committee requested he write the letter after councillors approved a new Lidl supermarket on Perth's Crieff Road, going against the council officers' recommendation of refusal which was based on national policy. On Wednesday, March 12 councillors voted by nine votes to two to grant Lidl permission to invest £10 million building a second Perth store and creating over 30 jobs. They rejected council officers' recommendation to refuse the application, arguing the development would give residents "more choice" and supported the National Planning Framework 4's (NPF4) 20-minute neighbourhoods. The only objector to the application was Tesco, which has a store on the other side of McDiarmid Park from the proposed Lidl site. At the March meeting, convener Ian Massie pledged to write to Scotland's Public Finance Minister raising the committee's concerns about the conflicting national planning policy. In response to a request from the Local Democracy Reporting Service, PKC this week shared both Cllr Massie's letter and the response he received from Ivan McKee MSP. In his letter, Cllr Massie said the current policy could result in "stifling competition". Referring to the committee's decision over the Lidl application, he wrote: "The officers' recommendation was for refusal on the grounds that it did not meet Policy 28: (a) and (c) as it was not located in an existing city, town or local centre, nor was it in an edge of centre area, or an allocated site within the LDP; (b) was not applicable as it did not meets the terms of (a); and also (c) Small scale neighbourhood development because the proposal could not be classed as small scale. "Whilst the committee agreed the criteria for Policy 28 (a) and (c) had not been met they went against officers' advice and granted permission stating that the application should be supported because it would provide over 30 jobs in the local area, help families on limited income afford more with what income they have and aligns with the Scottish Government's approach to 20-minute neighbourhoods , as outlined through Policy 15 of NPF4." He called for planning policy to meet the "specific needs of our communities". The Perth City North ward councillor added: "Currently, the framework for Policy 28 lacks coherence on several crucial aspects, including the balance between High Street regeneration, out-of-town developments, and the promotion of sustainable practices within retail. However fundamentally, there is the lack of a specific reference to what floorspace thresholds should be deemed to define what is small scale neighbourhood development. "Unless there is an early review of the retail policy of NPF4 the likelihood is that the current policy will result in the planning system in Scotland stifling competition in this sector. This will favour those operators who secured consents for out-of-town centre sites over the last 20 years to the detriment of newer and possibly more innovative operators. It will not strengthen town centre High Streets. This is not 'good planning'. " Ivan McKee thanked Cllr Massie for his letter and said the intent of the national planning policy was "to encourage, promote and facilitate retail investment to the most sustainable locations that are most accessible by a range of sustainable transport modes". The Minister for Public Finance said there were a "range of factors" which need to be considered in planning assessments and there were no plans to review the policy. Mr McKee said: " There is no scheduled review of NPF4 at this time, however it is helpful to have your input on the effectiveness of NPF4 policies and I am grateful to you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us."
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Carse of Gowrie path would be a lasting legacy of Errol local hero
Perth and Kinross Council has submitted a substantial bid to the Scottish Government to make Roger Humphry's vision a reality A Carse of Gowrie councillor believes it is "imperative" a Carse of Gowrie path is finished to honour the efforts of environmental activist Roger Humphry. Roger - who died suddenly but peacefully in April - worked "tirelessly" to create a shared use path for cyclists, walkers and other users between Errol and Grange. Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) has submitted a £100,000 bid to the Scottish Government for support in making Roger's wish a reality. A report on PKC's Active Travel Prioritisation Delivery Plan by Road Safety project officer Blair Watt details how the Traffic and Network team has submitted six bids to the Tier 2 Active Travel Infrastructure Fund 2025/26. And one of them is a £100,000 bid for a Stage 3-4 design bid for the Errol to Grange corridor. The proposed path already has significant funding and securing this bid would help progress the project. The report will go before PKC's Environment and Infrastructure Committee for consideration on Wednesday, May 28. Conservative councillor Angus Forbes would like to see the path completed "not just for Roger's sake but to create his vision for a more connected and active community". He believes the bid is a direct result of the "tireless" efforts of the Carse of Gowrie Path Group, and specifically the late Roger Humphry. Cllr Forbes said: "I am absolutely delighted that Perth and Kinross Council - subject to approval at committee this week - is moving forward with this bid for £100,000 to advance the Carse of Gowrie path. "This is fantastic news for our community and a testament to the incredible hard work and dedication of the Carse of Gowrie Group. Their commitment to improving active travel options for residents has been unwavering." He added: "It is poignant that we are now at a stage where we can push to continue this path, a project so close to Roger's heart. "Roger was an extraordinary individual who poured so much of his time and energy into making this path a reality for the Carse of Gowrie. It is imperative that we finish this path, not just for Roger's sake but to create his vision for a more connected and active community." The Carse of Gowrie Group - which Roger was part of - has been developing and improving paths across the Carse for years. Roger - who served as both co-convenor and vice-convenor of the Perth and Kinross branch of the Scottish Greens - was passionate about using more sustainable means of travel. Cllr Forbes added: "I am confident that this funding, if successful, will make a real difference to the lives of Carse of Gowrie residents. It will provide a safe and enjoyable route for people to get around and promote healthier lifestyles. Whilst this is a significant piece of funding, there is still more to find and we'll keep looking at every opportunity for additional funding."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parent groups sue Colorado officials over transgender rights expansion of anti-discrimination law
Rep. Lorena Garcia speaks on the Colorado House floor during the last day of the 2025 legislative session, May 7, 2025 at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) A coalition of groups that reject transgender rights sued Colorado officials Monday over a newly signed law that put protections for transgender people, and how they are addressed, into Colorado's anti-discrimination law. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, alleges that House Bill 25-1312 violates the First and 14th Amendments . 'The purpose of H.B. 25-1312 is clear. The law punishes those who refuse to speak using chosen names and pronouns, and it does so in order to suppress traditional beliefs about sex and gender. In other words, the law openly discriminates based on viewpoint,' lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The lawsuit was brought by the Virginia-based conservative group Defending Education, the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, Protect Kids Colorado, a health group called Do No Harm, and Grand Junction dermatologist Dr. Travis Morrell. CPAN and PKC are both parental-rights groups that advocate against 'gender ideology' topics in schools, often from a far-right perspective. It names Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, and the members of Colorado's Civil Rights Division as defendants. HB-1312, also known as the Kelly Loving Act after a transgender woman who died in the 2022 Club Q shooting, expands Colorado's anti-discrimination laws to include a person's chosen name and pronouns. Those laws apply to workplaces, schools and other places of public accommodation. The law also includes provisions to make it easier for transgender people to change their name and gender markers on birth certificates, drivers licenses and marriage documents. It was sponsored by Rep. Lorena Garcia of Adams County, Rep. Rebekah Stewart of Lakewood, Sen. Faith Winter of Broomfield and Sen. Chris Kolker of Centennial. It passed with entirely Democratic support, and Gov. Jared Polis signed it on May 16. The bill was amended to remove several controversial provisions during the legislative process and faced stiff opposition from Republicans and conservative groups, including the parties in the new lawsuit. They allege in the filing that the law could impact their ability to hold public advocacy events, publish materials and do other work. CPAN and PKC use 'biologically accurate pronouns and birth names' for transgender people, a practice also known as misgendering and deadnaming. The groups worry that continuing to use those names and pronouns will result in an investigation from the state's civil rights commission and individual lawsuits. They argue that recent legal decisions — including 303 Creative v. Elenis, where a Colorado website designer did not want to create a hypothetical website for a gay couple — support the claim that HB-1312 unconstitutionally compels speech, in this case forcing them to refer to a transgender person by their name. The lawsuit repeatedly misgenders and deadnames state Rep. Brianna Titone, former state legislative candidate Vivian Smotherman and transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. 'When CPAN and (Executive Director) Ms. Gimelshteyn use birth names and biologically accurate pronouns, they are not doing so to be malicious or hurtful. They do so because this expression reflects their deeply held beliefs that sex is fixed in each person from the moment of conception and cannot be changed,' the lawsuit says. If they cannot use that language, their impact will be 'greatly diminished.' Morrell, the dermatologist, contended in the lawsuit that using someone's 'biological pronouns' is necessary for clear communication, as a person's sex assigned at birth could be important when determining proper treatment. Representatives from the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the attorney general's office were unable to comment on the litigation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
£13 million road linking Bertha Park to A9 North of Perth to open at the end of 2026
Work has been accelerated on the third phase of the Cross Tay Link Road project Work on a £13.2 million project to create a road connecting Bertha Park to the Cross Tay Link Road and the A9 north of Perth has begun. The new Bertha Park Link Road is expected to open at the end of 2026. A capital budget report put before Perth and Kinross Council's Finance and Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 30 said construction work on the project had been accelerated. The new road - just under a mile long - will connect Bertha Park to the Cross Tay Link Road and the A9 north of Perth. It is the third and second last phase of the £150 million Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) project. It will head north from the existing roundabout next to Bertha Park High School, going through housing in Bertha Park and on through areas of farmland and forestry before meeting the new A9 west roundabout. At last Wednesday's meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee, Conservative Almond and Earn councillor David Illingworth said: "I'm pleased to see the Bertha Park Link Road has been accelerated. Are there any estimates for when it will start and how long it will take to deliver?" PKC's strategic lead for Economy, Development and Planning Serge Merone said: "Initial works - tree clearance and construction of temporary accesses - have commenced. That will be followed by further advanced works. Earthworks will commence in June 2025 and we anticipate the completion before the end of 2026." Planning permission for the new route was granted earlier this year by PKC's Planning and Placemaking Committee in February, just ahead of the Cross Tay Link Road's three-span Destiny Bridge and four-mile New Kingsway officially opening on March 31.
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Perth and Kinross Council monitoring its IT systems around the clock
A Perth and Kinross councillor questioned how secure digital systems were after major cyber attacks to other organisations Following several recent high-profile cyber attacks, councillors have been assured Perth and Kinross Council's Information Technology (IT) systems are monitored non-stop. M&S, The Co-op and Harrods have all been recent victims of attacks and both West Lothian Council and Edinburgh City Council also appear to have been targeted last week. And PKC itself has been subject to security and data breaches in the past. At a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) on Wednesday, May 8, Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Bob Brawn sought assurance PKC's digital systems were adequately protected. At last Wednesday's meeting, the Conservative councillor pointed to the increased move towards digital technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He referenced the suspected ransomware cyber-attack on West Lothian Council, which hit the headlines the previous day. Cllr Brawn asked: "As we're evolving more and more into a digital age, are we protecting our systems as we evolve?" PKC's strategic lead for Customer and Digital Services Alan Taylor assured councillors, the local authority's IT staff worked on a "security-first principle" and were "incredibly proactive". Mr Taylor said: "Yes, we do everything we can. "Our IT staff operate to a security-first principle and we are obviously incredibly proactive. In terms of what happened to the retail sector recently, we circulated an advisory note around all of our IT staff. "We were aware of what happened at West Lothian. I saw one of my colleagues going into Carpenter House at 7am just to ensure there were no issues with ourselves in Perth and Kinross. "We have 24/7 monitoring. We were one of the first councils to do that, with a security operations centre and our IT management team meet regularly with our security IT staff." PKC's strategic lead and monitoring officer for Legal and Governance Lisa Simpson added: "Just to give some assurance, the Information Governance and Data Protection and Information Security team that work under mine, work very closely with Alan and we are involved in all of the digitally-related projects particularly AI. AI governance is an integral part of that project's success." In September 2024, PKC announced a security breach involving one user's email account and access to emails containing the bank account numbers and sort codes of some businesses, suppliers and customers. At the time, a council spokesperson said: "The breach was identified and secured promptly, but eight emails were accessed. Some of these emails had attachments which may also have been accessed which contained bank account numbers and sort codes of some businesses, individual suppliers and commercial waste customers." The council apologised for the incident and pledged to directly contact affected individuals "to inform them as soon as possible". The local authority urged everyone to be "cautious of any unusual emails claiming to be from Perth and Kinross Council" and check all council emails come from @ addresses. In November 2024, PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee was told there had been a 77 per cent increase in data breaches, rising from 95 in 2022/23 to 168 in 2023/24. The report, put before councillors, suggested both greater awareness of recognising data breaches and increased staff workloads across the council may have led to the significant rise in 2023/24. However, there were 134 in 2021/22 and 146 in 2020/21 so the much lower figure of 95 in 2022/23 was also thought to be "anomalous" In the 2023/24 financial year, there were 133 unauthorised disclosures, 33 were email errors, one was due to unauthorised access and one was loss of data. Eight cases had to be reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) but the ICO was satisfied with the council's response to the breaches and no further action was required. In the November 2024 report, PKC's data protection officer (DPO) Jillian Walker said: "Given the breadth of all local authorities' activities and the millions of transactions involving personal data that are processed each year, no local authority can state categorically that it is fully compliant with data protection legislation. It is the opinion of the DPO, however, that the council continues to achieve a reasonable and acceptable level of compliance."
