LIBRARIES which have been threatened with the axe in Perthshire could be saved under the SNP council’s budget plans.
Perth and Kinross Council’s administration will ask fellow councillors to support a £1 million rescue package for five libraries on Wednesday.
The ruling SNP group wants to give an additional £500,000 to Culture Perth and Kinross for the coming year and another £500,000 the year after that which would cover the cost of keeping libraries open in several areas including Scone, Auchterarder, Alyth, Birnam and Comrie.
Libraries in these areas have been threatened with closure leading to outrage from campaigners.
The proposed funding is set to come with conditions, as campaigners will be asked to work with culture bosses, the council and their own communities to come up with ways to make the libraries sustainable in the long-term.
Councillors are also being asked to rubber-stamp a 10% rise in council tax for Perth and Kinross households next year.
If this is approved, residents living in a Band D property will pay an extra £11.70 a month from April 2025.
Budget proposals from the SNP group also include additional funding for road verge cutting and a freeze on garden waste permits in 2026/27 and 2027/28.
Laing said potential income from increased council tax, coupled with a higher than expected funding settlement from the Scottish Government, would help to cover the cost of the measures he is suggesting.
“This is the SNP administration’s budget,” he said.
“But no one group has a monopoly on good ideas. And I’ve reached out to the other groups to bring forward their suggestions too.
“We are all working together to spend the money available to the council in the best way we can for Perth and Kinross.
“It’s a responsibility that none of us take lightly.”
The full council meeting starts at 9.30am on Wednesday, February 26 and those interested can follow online here.
