Perth & Kinross Council

Empowering young voices at Methven Primary School 💖 We're incredibly proud of Methven’s Primary Pupil Parliament for their latest episode in their Rights Here, Rights Now! podcast series. This December, they've been diving deep into Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which focuses on the right to an adequate standard of living. In this episode below, our young leaders explore the profound impacts of poverty on children both globally and within our own community. They discuss the stark realities faced by many and highlight the difference between wants and real needs. The episode also features information about the Warm Spaces Hub at the Methven Arms, a local council-supported initiative and a food collection drive organised by the Methven Pupil Parliament to support this vital resource. Find out more about warm spaces at https://lnkd.in/g-ktfgzF In Perth and Kinross, there are almost 6,000 children living in poverty. This is a reminder of the challenges we face, but also a call to action. For 2025 and beyond, we will continue to work with our communities and partners to make a difference in tackling and reduce poverty in our community. Perth & Kinross Anti-Poverty Task Force Perth & Kinross Foodbank PKAVS Scottish Water

Our offices will close from today, 24 December at 5pm and will re-open at 8.45am on 3 January 2025. Our webchat will be unavailable during this time. The phone lines will divert to the emergency arrangements at 4pm to allow testing of the system ahead of the festive period closedown. For more information on our festive closedown, please visit https://lnkd.in/exYpAurG

Council leader Councillor Grant Laing visited Perth & Kinross Foodbank in York Place in Perth today to drop off food donated by Perth and Kinross Council staff over the festive period. Councillor Laing said: "I'd like to express my gratitude to staff for the generosity and, of course, the staff and volunteers at Perth & Kinross Foodbank. Their dedication and hard work make a real difference to the lives of many families in Perth and Kinross. "I also want to thank the many generous individuals and organisations who have donated to the foodbank. These contributions provide essential support to those in need." Picture shows Councillor Laing with Lori Hughes and Kirsten Nkwocha-Dyer from Perth & Kinross Foodbank.

Our amazing Parking and Civil Contingencies team does so much more than just issue parking fines! This week, they lent a helping hand to the Perth Community Flood Aid by filling up sandbag stations, minimising the risk of flooding for local residents. Plus, they’ve spread some festive cheer by donating chocolate and biscuits to Perth & Kinross Foodbank. Merry Christmas to Stewart Skene and all your team. 🧑🎄   

Inspiring the next generation of Landscape Architects. 👏 A big thank you to the P4-P7 pupils at Auchtergaven Primary School for welcoming Nick Riley, Landscape Architect from our Community Greenspace team. Nick had a fantastic time discussing the exciting process of creating an accessible playpark for all. It was wonderful to hear the pupils' ideas and visions for the Coronation Park Play Area in Bankfoot. We hope this visit has sparked an interest in landscape architecture among these young minds and maybe even inspired some future architects! We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas for the park too. Share your suggestions on our online consultation at https://lnkd.in/eGvtJVsG

This Christmas let's remember to be kind and take care of each other, supporting those around us. The holiday seasons can be a difficult time, whether you're struggling or know someone who is, or those who have lost someone this year. Fortunately, there are resources available to help. In Tayside, a website and app resource have been developed to support those struggling with suicidal thoughts, including those who have been affected by suicide. The resource provides guidance on how to help others in need, dispels common myths around suicide, and offers a space for anyone to create their own safety plan to guide them through difficult times. Find out more at www.suicidehelp.co.uk

What a year! It has given us many wonderful highlights in Perth and Kinross - from welcoming over 200,000 visitors to the new Home of Destiny, Perth Museum, the opening of new visitor management facilities in Grandtully, and Perthshire being named the "most welcoming region on Earth", it's been an incredible year. 🤗 We also have to mention a special moment too when the new The Scottish Crannog Centre re-opened after a devastating fire in 2021. A fantastic video below from VisitScotland, with highlights throughout Scotland in 2024. We can't wait to see what 2025 brings, making Perth and Kinross, and Scotland one of the most stunning places to visit on earth. 💖

Children and young people in Perth and Kinross who are impacted by someone close to them having contact with the justice system are now better placed to get the help they need following a significant training project led by Perth and Kinross Council together with charity Families Outside. The introduction of the Child Impact Assessment (CIA) toolkit, developed by the Prison Reform Trust, is aimed at enabling children and young people affected by these types of circumstances to be seen, heard and supported. It is estimated that between 20,000 and 27,000 children in Scotland are impacted by imprisonment each year. The initiative also contributes to the Council’s commitment to The Promise for care-experienced children and young people, and to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The toolkit makes it possible for anyone working with or having contact with children and young people to discuss with the child how they are affected by having a parent or family member going through the justice system and help identify the types of support that would be best for them. Over 400 members of staff from the Council and partner agencies (NHS Tayside, Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service and Live Active Leisure) took part in CIA training between May and November 2024.  At a special event held on World Children’s Day (20 November), representatives from all these organisations and the voluntary sector, Community Justice Scotland and the Scottish Government came together to hear about the progress made and the importance of children and young people’s rights being upheld, with contributions from the young people’s steering group set up as part of the project. See our website at https://lnkd.in/eMPdE6jM for more details. Also, take a look at our video about the CIA Toolkit - https://lnkd.in/e6xAknvQ

Ever wondered what flows under the streets of Perth? These images are from a drone survey of a section of the covered historic Perth Town Lade under Canal Street following a partial collapse of the road surface above at the start of the month. Following the initial reported defect we arranged for a specialist contractor to carry out a CCTV survey of the area of the lade which flows under the road. Three drone flights were undertaken from manholes in Canal Street. The photos attached to this post show how the culvert generally looks, and the small pile of rubble beneath the hole which formed. Large sections of the culvert surveyed are of a masonry arch construction and appear (beyond the partial collapse) to be in generally good condition. Now the process is underway to procure a specialist sub-contractor to reinstate the stonework using confined space entry. This is likely to take place in January 2025, so temporary traffic management on the road above has been extended until the end of January to allow for this. Once the immediate defect has been repaired our flooding team is planning to carry out more detailed investigations and an assessment of the condition of the full historical sections of the Perth Town Lade, from its diversion from the active sections at Mill Street and South Methven Street to its outfall to the River Tay at Canal Street. #HistoricalPerth #BehindTheScenes #PerthScotland

Opportunity to operate the Pavilion Café at the South Inch, Perth - We are inviting interested parties to tender for the opportunity to operate the café at the South Inch Pavilion in Perth.  The South Inch is a large public park in the heart of the Fair City featuring a network of paths, sports pitches, trees, children’s playpark, skate park, pond and event space. The South Inch Pavilion faces the playpark and is a multi-functional building. The remainder of the building is now occupied by the Fair City Juniors Football Club. We welcome hearing from anyone who might wish to occupy and run the Pavilion Café from March 2025. To request a tender pack, please call Dave Stubbs from the Community Greenspace Team on 01738 475000 or email [email protected]   Interested parties can visit the café, by appointment, on an open day planned on Friday 10 January 2025. Tender documents must be returned by Friday 17 January 2025.