Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2025-26
Perth and Kinross Council · 7 October 2026
Back to Scrutiny and Performance Committee — 7 October 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee: Scrutiny & Performance Committee – 23 September 2026 Report Title: Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2025/26 Report Number: 26/259 Report Author: Sam Rankin, Team Leader (Strategic Planning & Performance) Organisational Lead: Greg Boland, Strategic Lead – Strategic Planning, People and Performance ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The Annual Performance Report (APR) is part of the Council’s strategic planning and performance framework, supporting delivery of its vision and achievement of outcomes. It provides an overview of how the Council has performed against its priorities, actions and associated key performance indicators in the period from April 2025 to March 2026, as set out within the Corporate Plan 2022-2027. 1.2 This report is structured as follows:- 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background 4. Summary Information 5. Strategic Planning – From Review to Renewal 6. Impact Value Assessment 7. Appendices 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Scrutiny and Performance Committee:- 2.1 Scrutinises the Annual Performance Report for 2025/26 and provides feedback to be incorporated into the report for Council on 28 October 2026.
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2.2 Agrees the revised reporting approach outlined in paragraphs 4.5-4.7, which brings together performance, improvement activity and future areas of focus within the Annual Performance Report. 2.3 Notes the proposed approach to using the Annual Performance Report as part of the evidence base for the next phase of strategic planning, including the development of a look-back report, as outlined in Section 5. 3. Background 3.1 Perth and Kinross Council’s Annual Performance Report (APR) is a statement of the progress made towards achieving its strategic priorities and meeting its statutory duty to deliver best value during the financial year 2025/26. It provides elected members, officers and the public with an understanding of the performance achieved through qualitative narrative as well as details on indicators and areas for improvement. In addition, a Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Executive Summary is attached at Appendix 2 which provides an overview of KPI trends for each strategic priority and a short narrative to explain performance. This shorter version will help support the Council’s public performance reporting activity on the website and via social media. 3.2 To support the APR, as with previous years, supplementary information is online on the website PK Performs, including case studies which give illustrative examples of progress towards the Council’s vision of a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality. 4. Summary Information 4.1 The Council’s APR for 2025/26 is a high-level summary of the impact that Council services collectively had in the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. It provides a summary of trends in data against each of the indicators, however, these should be considered in the context of the current operating environment, challenges and whether we control, influence or are informed by the data. 4.2 Within the APR performance is reported against the Council’s seven key priorities and associated actions identified within the Corporate Plan. Detailed information and data is provided on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), performance and improvement. 4.3 Throughout the APR, there are examples of how services have continued to have a positive impact on outcomes for individuals, businesses and communities. The KPI Executive Summary provides an overview of how this has been achieved. 4.4 Throughout the report, there are many examples of how services have continued to have a positive impact on outcomes for individuals, businesses and communities across Perth and Kinross.
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These include: • Delivering 239 affordable homes across Perth and Kinross, exceeding the annual target and helping more people access safe, secure and affordable housing. • Helping residents maximise their income through Welfare Rights services, which secured £8.9 million in additional benefit income during the year. • Reducing the Council's carbon emissions through the conversion of all 28 refuse collection vehicles from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel, saving over 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. • Enhancing biodiversity by increasing the area of Council-managed grassland managed for nature from 121.5 hectares to 205.5 hectares and planting over 3,000 trees across Perth and Kinross. • Supporting 285 business start-ups and contributing to Perth and Kinross being recognised as the highest ranked local authority area in the UK for business growth potential. • Supporting 263 people into employment through employability programmes. • Improving primary literacy and numeracy attainment, with performance increasing to 82% and remaining above the Council's target level. • Expanding specialist support for children and young people with additional support needs through the opening of three new Intensive Support Provisions. • Providing early intervention and coordinated support for vulnerable children, adults and families, including support through the Multi-Agency Screening Hub and enhanced housing support services. • Encouraging healthier and more active lifestyles, with leisure facilities recording over 1.1 million attendances during the year. • Supporting participation in culture, learning and heritage, with libraries, museums and galleries attracting over 700,000 visits during the year. • Working with communities through the Fairer Futures programme in six priority localities to tackle poverty, improve employability and strengthen community wellbeing. 4.5 Despite these achievements the Council are not complacent and recognise the many challenges we faced within 2025/26, and those that lie ahead. The report recognises some of these challenges and the work that we are doing to make positive change. 4.6 In previous years, progress against key improvement actions was reported separately through the Corporate Delivery and Improvement Plan (CDIP). During 2025/26, the remaining improvement activity identified through the CDIP has been incorporated directly within the Annual Performance Report and reported alongside performance information for each Corporate Plan priority. This reduces duplication and supports a more integrated view of performance, improvement and future areas of focus against each Corporate Plan priority.
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4.7 The APR also includes key areas of focus for 2026/27 under each Corporate Plan priority. This enables progress, improvement activity and future priorities to be considered together within a single report. 4.8 This revised approach streamlines performance reporting by bringing together performance, improvement activity and future areas of focus within the Annual Performance Report, providing elected members, officers and the public with a more complete picture in one document. 5. Strategic Planning – From Review to Renewal 5.1 The Annual Performance Report will provide an important evidence base for the next phase of strategic planning, helping to identify progress, learning and future areas of focus as the Council moves towards a new strategic planning cycle. Work is being developed to provide more detailed strategic planning proposals for the next phase of the Council’s planning framework. This will include a structured look back on the Corporate Plan 2022-2027, drawing together evidence on delivery, impact, learning and areas for continued focus. This evidence will inform a report to Council in March 2027. 5.2 The March 2027 report will provide the foundation for developing the new Corporate Plan. Following the May 2027 local government elections, further work will be undertaken with the new Administration, wider elected members, Strategic Leadership Team, management teams, staff, partners and communities to shape priorities, outcomes, delivery commitments, measures and investment choices for the future. 6. Impact Value Assessment This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 7. Appendices 7.1 Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2025/26 7.2 Annual Performance Report 2025/26 Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Executive Summary 2025/26