What could help, who could lead and how to tell whether it works. These proposals respond to the evidence; they are separate from the council’s actual commitments.
Proposal
Connect Perth’s completed investments to everyday city access
Perth Museum and the New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge have officially opened.
The city has both a cultural destination and new transport infrastructure. Their completion does not establish how travel patterns or city-centre activity have changed.
Who could lead: Perth and Kinross Council and Culture Perth and Kinross; Perth and Kinross Council.
- Start now
Check clear walking, cycling and public-transport information for museum visits and routes using the new crossing.
- Over the next few years
Review traffic, active-travel use and access to the centre against the schemes’ stated purposes.
- Over the longer term
Use the observed results to improve connections and maintain the assets, rather than assuming opening-day benefits continue.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Perth Museum redevelopment: Opened March 2024; recorded in council performance report. New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge: Road and bridge officially opened.
Measure: Journeys by different travel modes, access barriers, museum participation and maintenance condition.
Trade-off: A new road route can change traffic in different places; visitor activity and residents’ everyday needs may not move together.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Perth Museum redevelopment →
New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge →
Proposal
Match Bertha Park’s growth with school places
The new primary school remained at pre-application consultation in autumn 2026.
Proposed response: show present pupil demand, interim arrangements and the decisions needed before a new school can open.
Evidence
Who could lead: Perth and Kinross Council.
- Start now
Publish the consultation response and explain current catchments, capacity and next planning steps.
- Over the next few years
Agree funding and construction milestones while checking that temporary arrangements remain suitable.
- Over the longer term
Review capacity, travel and support provision as homes are occupied and the school develops.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Pre-application consultation closed on 9 October 2026. No verified opening or completed planning approval is claimed.
Measure: Confirmed school places, planning and funding decisions, opening milestones and pupil travel.
Trade-off: A new school needs staff and running funding as well as a building; housing growth forecasts can change.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposed Bertha Park primary school →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £229,000 (July 2026) in Perth and Kinross council area. This is about £33,000 higher than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The average home price is £229,000 (July 2026) in Perth and Kinross council area.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average home price →
Proposed Bertha Park primary school →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
35.9% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in Perth and Kinross council area. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 21.6% in Perth City North to 45.1% in Kinross-shire — a gap of 23.5 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in Kinross-shire and Perth City North; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 35.9% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 21.6% in Perth City North to 45.1% in Kinross-shire — a gap of 23.5 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 12 of 12 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or higher →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Perth Museum redevelopment →
Proposal
Target safety work where problems repeat
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole Perth and Kinross council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
Who could lead: The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services.
- Start now
Check recurring places and categories alongside local police priorities and residents’ reports.
- Over the next few years
Test focused prevention and support, with a comparison period agreed before the work starts.
- Over the longer term
Publish whether problems fall, move elsewhere or return, and adjust the response.
How to judge progress
Crime evidence and coverage →
Starting point: Use the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate.
Measure: Comparable recorded incidents, repeat victimisation and residents’ reported experience; never a single crude league table.
Trade-off: More reporting can increase recorded crime. Enforcement and support may work differently for different problems.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Perth Museum redevelopment →
New Kingsway and Destiny Bridge →
Proposed Bertha Park primary school →
What still needs an answer
Delivery costs, current service capacity and residents’ experience need to be assessed before choosing a programme. The time bands describe a possible sequence, not promised delivery dates.
Project locations have not been matched to official ward boundaries. No ward-specific delivery claims are inferred.
Costs, funding and benefits are only reported where the selected official evidence states them; blank fields are not zero.
Bertha Park’s consultation has closed, but its outcome, funded construction timetable and opening date have not been verified. An earlier target date is not treated as proof that the school opened.
