Appendix 2 - Summary of the current contribution to progressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross Council · 14 February 2024
Back to Climate Change and Sustainability Committee — 14 February 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Summary of the current contribution (position as of 19th December 2023) to progressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Perth and Kinross SDG Overall progress Summary of indicator performance Mixed progress with steady to improving trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to employment and income poverty, and housing poverty. • The percentage of Perth and Kinross employees earning less than the living wage has decreased over the last few years but remains above the Scottish average. • Average gross hourly pay in Perth and Kinross has increased over recent years, in-line with the Scotland average, although women continue to earn less than men. • The percentage of children living in relative low-incomes families has increased, following the trend for the Scotland average while consistently remaining just below. • The trend for workless households in Perth and Kinross has declined over recent years, and it remains consistently below the Scotland average. • The house price to earnings ratio in Perth and Kinross is consistently higher than the Scotland average, indicating reduced affordability for home buying. • The trend for homelessness applications in Perth and Kinross shows a reduction in number, although 2022-23 saw an increase in total applications. The number of children associated with applications assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness in Perth and Kinross is reducing. Mixed progress with steady to improving trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to nutrition and food security. • Since 2016, the trend for Perth and Kinross P1-3 school children who were classified as being of clinically non-healthy weight (underweight, overweight, obese, and severely obese) has increased and exceeds the Scotland average. • Emergency food parcels received from Perth and Kinross Foodbank has increased. • Both primary and secondary pupils registered for free school meals has remained steady. Appendix 2
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Good progress with steady to improving trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to child and adolescent health, lifestyle and well-being, and reproductive and maternal health • Uptake rates for the MMR1 and 6 in 1 vaccines by 24 months, and the completed course for the HPV vaccine in girls by S3 remain high and in-line with the Scotland average. • P1-3 pupils classified as being of clinically healthy weight remains high but shows a decreasing trend since 2016, and has fallen below the Scotland average. • Life expectancy rates remain steady for both females and males in Perth and Kinross and remain consistently higher than the Scotland average. • The mortality rate from Coronary Heart Disease under age 75 for both females and males in Perth and Kinross continues to show a declining trend, and remains consistently lower than the Scotland average. • The number of alcohol related hospital stays in Perth and Kinross continues to show a decreasing trend and remains consistently lower than the Scotland average. • Registered deaths from probable suicide remain low but show an increasing trend. • Road casualties where the individual was either killed or seriously injured in Perth and Kinross are declining. • Live singleton births classed as healthy weight in Perth and Kinross remain very high and steady, in-line with the average across Scotland. • Teenage pregnancy rates for females under the age of 16 shows a decreasing trend and remains consistently lower than the Scotland average. • Breastfeeding (exclusively breast or mixed fed) at 6-8 weeks of age shows an increasing trend and remains consistently higher than the Scotland average. Very good progress with steady to improving trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to learning, attainment, and further education, skills, and training. • Perth and Kinross P1, P4, P7 and S3 pupils continue to show sustained high levels of attainment for expected literacy and numeracy across all areas. • Perth and Kinross school leavers continue to show sustained high levels of attainment for literacy and numeracy at both SCQF levels 4 and 5. • The trend for working aged people with no qualifications is declining and remains consistently lower than the Scotland average. • The general trend for both school leavers going into initial positive destinations and rate of participation in the Participation Measure is steady and consistently high scoring, in-line with the Scotland average.
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Mixed progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to gender related pay and employment. • Average hourly pay (excluding overtime) for women in Perth and Kinross remains below that for men. • Paid employment by gender in Perth and Kinross consistently shows a lower percentage of women working in both full-time and self-employment compared to men, and a higher percentage of women working in part-time employment compared to men. This is in-line with the Scotland average. • The proportion of women looking after the home/family in Perth and Kinross remains consistently higher than for men. • Gender equality is favourable within Perth and Kinross Council, with a continued low gender pay gap between female and male employees, remaining consistently lower than the Scotland average. The trend for the proportion of the highest paid 5% of employees who are women has increased, indicating gender equality for senior Council employees. However, this remains consistently below the Scotland average. Good progress with steady to worsening trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to drinking water and sanitation, and surface water quality. • The trend for water consumption per household in Perth and Kinross remains stable and follows the trend across Scotland. • Since 2019, the trend for quality of regulated private water supplies tested for compliance has declined and remains below the Scotland average. • Overall surface water quality classified as high or good within Perth and Kinross has remained stable and fair, in-line with the Scotland average. The condition of surface waters assessed for alien species, water ecology and chemistry remains very good.
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Mixed progress with improving trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to energy consumption, energy efficiency, and renewable electricity. • The trend for total gas and electricity consumption for both domestic and non-domestic users in Perth and Kinross continues to decline, in-line with the across Scotland. Household consumption of electricity and gas in Perth and Kinross also continues a declining trend, although figures remain consistently higher than the Scotland average. • Although declining, households experiencing fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty in Perth and Kinross are consistently higher than the Scotland average. In Perth and Kinross, households experiencing fuel poverty remain steady and in-line with the Scotland average. However, households experiencing extreme fuel poverty in Perth and Kinross have increased and are considerably higher than the Scotland average. • There is a general increasing trend for Perth and Kinross Council housing meeting the Energy Efficient Standard for Social Housing, remaining both consistently high and above the Scotland average. • Since 2014, total renewable electricity generated within Perth and Kinross shows a slight declining trend. Both renewable electricity generation, and installed capacity by source remain steady, with Hydro and Onshore Wind accounting for most of the electricity. The number of renewable electricity installations has remained steady, being mostly photovoltaic. Mixed progress with steady to worsening trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to business and enterprise, and sustainable tourism. • Since 2014, the count of enterprise births in Perth & Kinross has shown a general downward trend (although high in 2021), with enterprise deaths remaining stable. • Business start-ups supported by Perth and Kinross Business Gateway shows a downward trend, in- line with the trend across Scotland, but remains consistently above the Scotland average. • Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, sustainable tourism turnover and labour costs in Perth and Kinross showed a rising trend. Post-2019 fluctuations indicate a slight rising. Employment from sustainable tourism remains steady. • Small to Medium Enterprises as a proportion of all sustainable tourism businesses in Perth and Kinross remain high.
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Mixed with steady to improving progress. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to sustainable industry and innovation, and connectivity and transport infrastructure. • The percentage share of all businesses that are classed as SMEs has remined stable and in-line with the Scotland average. • The percentage share of all businesses that are categorised as manufacturing in nature has remained stable and in-line with the Scotland average. • The percentage share of all employment which is related to manufacturing has remained stable, but consistently below the average for Scotland. • Growth sector statistics in Perth and Kinross have remained steady since 2008. • Expenditure on Research and Development performed within businesses as a percentage of GDP remains steady in Perth and Kinross but below the Scotland average. This does not follow the increasing trend across the average for Scotland. • Road transport fuel consumption by mode of transport in Perth & Kinross has remained fairly steady since 2005. Figures for 2020 and 2021 are lower than previous years and it should be noted this coincides with the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on movement. HGV freight, and personal use of both diesel and petrol cars make up the top three consumer modes. • The number of public electric vehicle charging devices in Perth and Kinross continues to rise. • Resident satisfaction with public transport in Perth and Kinross remains fairly steady and good. • Home internet access in Perth and Kinross remains high, in-line with the Scotland average. Households with superfast broadband in Perth and Kinross remain high but below the Scotland average. Good progress with steady to declining trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to discrimination and harassment, and deprivation. • Levels of perceived discrimination and harassment in Perth and Kinross remain low, in-line with the Scotland average. Although low, levels of perceived discrimination show an increasing trend, with disability, ethnicity, gender, religious belonging, and sexual orientation all showing an increase. Levels of perceived harassment show a decreasing trend, with decreases in relation to age, disability, gender, and sexual orientation. • Deprivation in Perth and Kinross data zones as a share of Scotland’s total is low and less than 1% of the national share of the 20% most deprived data zones.
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Good progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to access to greenspace, and local environmental quality. • The proportion of local residents within up to a 5-minute walking distance of their nearest green or blue space remains high and steady, and consistently above the Scotland average. • Satisfaction with nearest green or blue space remains high but shows a decline, whilst remaining above the Scotland average. • Compliance with the maximum annual mean for sites monitored for Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM10) remains very high. • Street Cleanliness score in Perth and Kinross shows a slight declining trend but remains high and in-line with the Scotland average. • Satisfaction with street cleanliness shows a declining trend in-line with the trend across Scotland, although remains consistently higher than the Scotland average. • Satisfaction with local refuse collection services has remained high and stable, and consistently higher than the Scotland average. Good progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to household waste and sustainable behaviour. • Total household waste generated in Perth & Kinross has shown a decreasing overall trend. Household waste generated per person has shown a decreasing trend but remains consistently higher than the Scotland average. • Household waste recycled/composted in Perth & Kinross has shown a decreasing trend but remains consistently and significantly higher than the Scotland average. • The carbon impact per person from household waste in Perth and Kinross has remained steady but consistently below the Scotland average. • The proportion of total procurement spend that is spent on local businesses by Perth and Kinross Council shows a slightly increasing trend but remains consistently below the Scotland average. • Since 2012, the percentage of nursey, primary and secondary pupils travelling to nursery/school by active travel modes has remained steady.
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Very good progress with improving trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to carbon dioxide emissions, and behaviour and action. • Area-wide Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Perth and Kinross have declined for all sectors except Transport, which remains largely the same. • Since 2005, there has been a steady declining trend for per capita area-wide CO2 emissions, with recent data showing figures lower than the Scotland average. • Since 2006, CO2 emissions within the scope of influence of Perth and Kinross Council have steadily reduced for all sectors. Over half of all CO2 emissions within the scope of influence of Perth and Kinross Council are due to Transport. • The total carbon footprint from Perth and Kinross Council's operations and service delivery shows a declining (improving) trend. Good progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to River Tay Catchment Area, and Water-dependent Protected Nature Sites. • The overall condition of surface waters within the Perth and Kinross boundary of the River Tay Catchment Area remains moderate and stable. The condition of surface water ecology and water quality located within the Perth and Kinross area of the River Tay Catchment has remained good and stable since 2015. Surface water fish condition also remains good and stable. • The overall condition of water-dependent Protected Nature Sites within Perth and Kinross remains good and stable, following the general trend across Scotland. Good progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to Protected Nature Sites, Protected Montane Habitats, and Woodland Cover. • The overall condition of Protected Nature Sites within Perth and Kinross remains good and stable, following the general trend across Scotland. Since 2010 the condition of SAC designated Montane habitats within Perth and Kinross has steadily improved. • Woodland cover in Perth and Kinross as 18.5% of the total land area, with 50% of cover being from conifers. This has changed little since 2010.
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Good progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to Crime and Safety, Informed and Engaged Citizens, Democratic Participation, and Neighbourhood Well-being. • Crimes recorded in Perth and Kinross show a declining trend and remain consistently below the Scotland average. The clear up rate for total crimes in Perth and Kinross remains stable and slightly above the average rate for Scotland. • Perception of prevalence of negative neighbourhood issues by residents of Perth and Kinross has remained steady for both neighbour problems and rubbish and fouling. The perception of prevalence of anti-social behaviour shows a decreasing trend. All categories consistently fall below the Scotland average. • Perceptions of safety by residents of Perth and Kinross has remained steady for both feeling safe at home and feeling safe walking alone after dark. Both categories are in-line with the average for Scotland. • The proportion of residents who agree the Council is good at communicating about performance and the services it delivers, and good at listening, remains steady but moderate to low. However, all are consistently above the Scotland average. • The proportion of residents who feel they can influence local decisions remains fairly stable and in-line with the Scotland average. • In the 2022 local Council election, the percentage poll of local electorate turning out to vote was slightly lower than the 2017 election but remained above the average turnout across Scotland. • The proportion of residents who feel their neighbourhood is a good place to live, and that there is a strength of belonging to the community, remains high and consistent with the Scotland average. The proportion of residents who feel people take action to improve the neighbourhood, that most people in the neighbourhood can be trusted, and that people are kind to each other all remains high and above the Scotland average. Mixed progress with steady trend. Progress towards this Goal is measured using indicators relating to service delivery. • Since 2013, the proportion of residents who agree the Council is delivering high quality services has shown a gradual declining trend, although consistently remains above the Scotland average. The trend for who agree the Council designs its services around the needs of the people who use them has remained steady, and consistently above the Scotland average. Residents who agree the Council is addressing the key issues affecting the quality of life in their local neighbourhood has shown a gradual declining trend, consistent with the trend for Scotland. The trend for residents who agree that the Council does its best with the money it has, shows a slight decline but remains consistently above the Scotland average.