Appendix 1- Perth and Kinross Council Community Empowerment Annual Report 2025-26
Perth and Kinross Council · 3 June 2026
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 3 June 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Perth and Kinross Council Community Empowerment Annual Report 2025-2026
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Report Contents 1.Overview 2.Key Updates 3.Other Activity 4.Community Ownership Forum 5.Advancing Community Assets Fund 6.Community Minibus Transfer Scheme 7.Improvements 2026-2027 Overview The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 sets out rights for communities to have more significant influence or control over decisions and services which are most important to them. These rights are summarised as follows: Part 3 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 enables communities to request to participate in processes to improve outcomes in their local community. Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 gives community groups the right to request ownership, lease, or access assets owned by the Council and other public bodies. The Council has a statutory duty to report on the number of both Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Requests and Participation Requests it receives every year and the Council's activity to promote these rights. Participation Requests PKC received no Participation Requests in 2025/26. However, on 4 April 2025 issued a decision notice refusing a Participation Request submitted earlier in 2025 by Crieff Community Council. The request sought involvement in wider community consultation on the future of the former Drummond Arms Hotel. PKC refused on the basis that it could not commit to consultation at that time. Since then, full community consultation has taken place, and PKC continues to work with Crieff Community Council and the wider community to identify a suitable solution for the site. Community Asset Transfer Since April 2025, PKC has supported nineteen groups interested in the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process; seven new enquiries and twelve ongoing from previous years. Two groups have achieved ownership solutions outwith the Community Empowerment legislation. One CAT request has been received and is pending decision. PKC recognises that Community Asset Transfer is only one route to community ownership. Many groups achieve ownership without submitting a formal CAT request, and PKC remains committed to helping communities pursue the quickest and most effective route for their circumstances. PKC’s Community Empowerment Officer sits on the National Asset Transfer Action Group, which has developed a new data collection process for 2025–26 to more accurately capture ownership achieved outwith the CAT process. Community Empowerment 2025-2026
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Key Updates Pitlochry Town Hall Pitlochry Town Hall group have been able to take over the day- to-day running of the hall through their management agreement with PKC. During this time, they have been able to build up evidence of use and income to support their CAT application. They have now submitted a full CAT application for purchase for which PKC must return a decision notice by 7 October 2026. th Alyth Museum Following the closure of Alyth Museum, Alyth Youth Partnership (AYP) approached PKC to use the building as a youth hub. Following a draft CAT request, officers agreed the group could proceed with a negotiated lease outwith the legislation. A Common Good Consultation was completed, and on 18 March the Alyth Common Good Committee approved a 25‑year lease. Young people involved in AYP have helped shape the building’s redesign and supported funding applications, demonstrating meaningful youth involvement in community empowerment and local decision‑making. th Dunning Hall Dunning Hall Association submitted a draft CAT application in June 2025, and it was agreed a lease could be granted outwith the legislation. The group and PKC have agreed Heads of Terms and are progressing a 25‑year lease with an option to purchase. The Committee is already running events from the Hall, including childcare and regular community activities. This project shows how a community group can identify local needs and deliver effective, community‑led solutions. For updates on any other projects please contact communityempowerment@pkc.gov.uk
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Other Activity Disposals The sale of the Former Slaughterhouse Site in Aberfeldy was settled in May 2025. The site was sold to Aberfeldy Development Trust for community-led affordable housing. A sale of the former Family Centre on Gowans Terrace to Centrum Edukacyjnego Bajka CIC is progressing and should shortly be completed. Public Toilets A lease has been granted to Auchterarder Community Sports and Recreation to allow for ‘Pee in the Park’ a community-led composting toilet in Primrose Park, Auchterarder. There is community interest for lease of the St James Square Public Toilets in Crieff and Heads of Terms have been prepared, whilst the community are supported to identify the most appropriate local organisation to take this forward. Starting Step a local social enterprise have requested a lease of the former South Inch (Marshall Place) Public Toilet building to create a horticultural training centre. Community Management Dunkeld & Birnam Men's Shed -have been granted a licence to occupy at small business unit on Birnam Industrial Estate. Lease negotiations continue with Kinross Open Spaces Action Group to grant a lease of a section of land at Davies Park. After community consultation favouring community management of Rookery Wood in Stanley, community groups continue to work with officers to take this into community management. For updates on any other projects please contact estates@pkc.gov.uk Community groups and organisations are often referred directly to PKC’s Estates Team who work with other Services to grant leases and sale of assets. The following summarises just some of the work done by these teams to empower communities through community ownership.
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The Scottish Government Review of Part 5 of the Community Empowerment Act (Community Asset Transfer) highlighted the need for peer support at a local level, and the success of a funded pilot run in Glasgow. As the National Action Group continue to discuss this pilot and how this can be upscaled across Scotland, Perth & Kinross Council have begun implementing our own support network in the form of the Community Ownership Forum. Progress has been shared with the National Action Group including researchers who evaluated the pilot project, and the success and direction of this Forum will continue to be shared. The Perth and Kinross Community Ownership Forum (COF) is an informal network of community groups in Perth and Kinross that are working towards a community ownership project. The forum meets quarterly and is an opportunity for groups to share their experiences and learn from one-another. They have also identified topics which they all feel they would like to explore further and officers have arranged speakers to attend the Forum to lead learning on these topics. So far three meetings have taken place and twelve groups have attended. We have had guest involvement from Community Ownership Support Service, Scottish Community Alliance, and PKC External Funding. Topics discussed have already been wide ranging have included: community wealth building, volunteer recruitment, bank accounts, constitutions, sharing of funding opportunities, choosing consultants, community engagement, and committee roles. The Forum approach allows groups to identify their own needs and learn from others who have been through the process. The role of council officers is to facilitate the sessions and empower groups to identify the successes that they have made on their journeys so far. In addition to the Community Ownership Forum, a forum has been set up for officers working across Scottish local authorities to meet and share experience. Attendance at this forum will help bring good practice examples to Perth and Kinross Community Ownership Forum
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For the 2025/26 financial year, £75,000 capital and £104,000 revenue funding was made available to support community ownership of Perth and Kinross council assets. This was launched as a fund for community groups to apply for in April 2025 under the name Advancing Community Assets Fund (ACAF). To date, £50,491 of capital and £77,286 of revenue funding has been committed. Projects supported include: - Pitlochry Town Hall - Dunning Town Hall - Coupar Angus Town Hall - Dunkeld North Garages - Alyth Museum - Cloichard Depot (Pitlochry) - Blairingone School and Schoolhouse As community ownership is a long journey and projects can take several years to reach completion, one-year funding can be difficult for groups to engage with. Officers hope to work with Finance and Elected Members to allow funding to be rolled over multiple financial years to allow the groups that need it most to make the best use of the public money available to make a real difference in their communities. Currently £24,509 of capital and £26,714 of revenue budget remains available to groups for 2026-27. Other funding support is available to groups through external sources which groups are supported to access via the Community Empowerment Officer, Community Learning and Development Team, and the External Funding Team. Advancing Community Assets Fund
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Community Minibus Transfer Scheme In February 2025 the Community Minibus Transfer Scheme was launched. This process applied Community Empowerment principles to the transfer of ownership of former council minibuses to community groups who applied and demonstrated need, benefit, and ability to sustain a bus. Between March and December 2025 12 buses were transferred to community groups. Successful groups were: The Royal Voluntary Service Mantalk Perthshire Welfare Society Your North Muirton Fossoway Community Development Trust Coupar Angus Community Transport Group Crieff Juniors Football Club 1 Kinross Boys Brigade and Girls Associationst The Mailler & Whitelaw Trust 54 Perthshire (Auchterarder) Scout Groupth Perth Sea Cadets People With a Mission Ministries 36 community groups applied to the scheme, with 42% of applications coming from groups in Perth City and 58% from other wards. The project was delivered via partnership working across PKC teams including Community Empowerment, Community Learning and Development, Fleet and Public Transport. Officers also partnered with the Community Transport Association to offer three information sessions for prospective applicants to learn more about minibus ownership. Feedback from successful groups will continue to be gathered throughout 2026. So far, groups have used the buses for various activities including, trips, regular support to establish a boccia league for older people, and even to support with accessible funeral transport.
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Reflecting on progress and challenges in 2025-26 we have identified key improvement actions for the year ahead. Community Asset Transfer Strategy Perth and Kinross Council support groups who approach us regarding assets, and at times will publicise assets which are at risk. During 2026-27 officers will address the need for a wider Community Asset Transfer Strategy. This must reflect the one-council approach and will be an example of partnership working between teams and services. The Community Empowerment processes and principles will help inform and support delivery of the strategy. Internal Training There is varied understanding of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 across the council and to improve on this, internal training will be updated and relaunched on PKC Learns. This training will ensure wider understanding across services allowing officers and Elected Members to be able to know when to signpost community groups to these opportunities. This will be particularly beneficial in relation to Participation Requests, which should be used to complement the council’s community engagement strategy. Refreshed training will also ensure that we as a council are working in line with the national findings of the Scottish Government Reviews of the Community Asset Transfer and Participation Requests. Training for Community Groups The Community Learning and Development Team are developing their Community Capacity Training offer. As part of this a standard training for Community Asset Transfer will be developed which can be carried out as a method of promoting and introducing the process. Improvements 2026-2027
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If you or someone you know would like a copy of this document in another language or format, (on occasion, only a summary of the document will be provided in translation), this can be arranged by contacting the Customer Service Centre on 01738 475000. You can also send us a text message on 07824 498145. All Council Services can offer a telephone translation facility. BSL users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the online British Sign Language video relay interpreting service. Find out more on the Contact Scotland BSL website https://contactscotland-bsl.org For more information on anything contained in this report, or for information on community ownership in Perth and Kinross, please contact communityempowerment@pkc.gov.uk or visit our website at https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/19819/Community-asset-transfer Artifical Intelligence has been used in the creation of this report for the purpose of improving photo image quality.