A budget boost for business

Feb 13 2009 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PERTH and Kinross Council plans to spend £1.05million on a series of measures designed to reinvigorate industry, tourism and local firms.

The investment was unveiled as a key component of yesterday’s budget announcement for 2009/10,

Confirming a freeze on Council Tax levels for the year, local authority leader Ian Miller claimed the decision to bolster a previous allocation of £800,000 to economic development services with an additional £250,000 proved the council’s commitment to supporting businesses in the area worst hit by the recession.

He revealed the cash injection had followed discussions with leading entrepreneurs on issues facing Perthshire’s economy.

“The council’s economic recovery plan aims to ensure that the local economy comes out of the downturn in a strong position,” he said yesterday.

“We are all committed to a series of early actions in a concerted effort to tackle these unprecedented circumstances.”

“The council is wholly committed to supporting local businesses and has provided an additional £400,000 over the last year in financial help and advice to struggling firms.”

Funding bolstered to help ride credit crunch

SERVICES in Perthshire were yesterday promised a seven-figure investment of public money to steel them against the economic downturn.

As a key component in its newly-unveiled budget for 2009/10, Perth and Kinross Council plans to spend £1.05million on a series of measures designed to reinvigorate industry, tourism and local firms.

Confirming a freeze on Council Tax levels for the year, local authority leader Ian Miller claimed the decision to bolster a previous allocation of £800,000 to economic development services with an additional £250,000 proved the council’s commitment to supporting businesses in the area worst hit by the recession.

He revealed the cash injection had followed discussions with leading entrepreneurs on issues facing Perthshire’s economy.

“The council’s economic recovery plan aims to ensure that the local economy comes out of the downturn in a strong position,” he said yesterday.

“We are all committed to a series of early actions in a concerted effort to tackle these unprecedented economic circumstances.

“For our part, the council is wholly committed to support local businesses and has provided an additional £400,000 over the last year in financial help and advice to a number of struggling firms.

“A further £400,000 has already been allocated for 2009/10 and this extra £250,000 will help fund extra measures needed at this time.

“We are determined to work together with local businesses to ensure Perth and Kinross comes out of the economic downturn in robust shape.”

The £1.05million pledged will mainly go towards business survival packages, including growth reviews, social enterprise and local regeneration initiatives and marketing and promotional activities in the tourism sector.

Funds will also be diverted towards efforts to help people who have been made redundant back into work, and apprenticeships and skills packages for the area’s longer-term unemployed.

An additional £500,000 is to be spent on education, with an extra £183,000 being put towards the council’s Community Link Workers scheme, which tackles inequality and poor health, creating five new jobs being created in various school catchment areas.

Schools will also receive an additional £102,000 to spend on new books, with £80,000 going towards further computer equipment in community campus libraries.

In the year of Homecoming and Perth’s 800th anniversary, community arts projects will get a bonus payment worth £40,000, while the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland and Horsecross, the managers of Perth Theatre and Perth Concert Hall, will land a larger-than-usual windfall.

Elsewhere, the council is to spend an extra £150,000 on a scheme to help older adults live at home for as long as possible.

The Future Homes initiative will provide state-of-the-art communication systems and joined-up care packages to combat feelings of isolation among seniors.

“Service users have told us that staying in their own homes is what they want to do,” said Mr Miller.

“Technology will allow us to sustain more older people within their own homes as an alternative to hospital or care homes.”

Meanwhile, £105,000 has been made available to help set up a credit union and the relocation of Perth’s Citizen’s Advice Bureau and welfare rights service, while an additional £40,000 has been earmarked for the development of a multi-function youth centre in Perth.

Regular beneficiaries Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Services and the council’s dog warden service will split an extra £34,000.