Track the business activity and commercial plans of Perth and Kinross Council — identify tender and future spending opportunities before they reach the market, follow cabinet and committee decisions, and understand the council’s priorities, with intelligence extracted from 609 analysed meetings. Perth and Kinross Council serves around 153,000 residents in central Scotland, centred on the historic city of Perth. The area offers outstanding natural beauty, a strong tourism and food sector, and benefits from Perth's designation as Scotland's newest city.
Meetings analysed609
Procurement opportunities754
Pressures tracked349
Estimated pipeline value£11.2bn–£11.8bn
Perth and Kinross Council Procurement Intelligence | QuorumInsight
Active procurement topics
Over the last 12 months, the most frequently discussed commercial topics in this council's meetings have been IT & Digital (59 mentions, easing), Professional Services (32 mentions, easing), Culture & Leisure (29 mentions, easing) and Economic Development & Business Support (26 mentions, easing).
Commercial signals extracted from recent Perth and Kinross Council meetings — approvals, budget decisions and early procurement discussions, before a tender is published.
The retrospective application for 1.8m timber fences and gates at the Old Rectory was refused because the works harmed the character and setting of the listed building and the surrounding historic environment. Members agreed the fences were too high, too long, and poorly sited, creating visual clutter and reducing the value of the open garden ground.
“Yes. So I think that the the planning officer has got this right this time. Um in principle is this is a grade belisted building um which is listed because of the exterior and the setting which is placed in. Um I think in principle that we need to reject this um because the u fen…”
The committee heard a recommendation to revoke the Burnbank Park caravan site licence because the operator had repeatedly failed to comply with licence conditions and was judged no longer fit and proper to hold the licence. The discussion covered the legal basis, repeated notices, resident protection, and the possibility of an interim manager or appeal.
“Environmental Health's position is that Woodside Property Limited are no longer fit and proper person to hold a site license. Now, members, what's the site? The site is Burnbank Park at Carsie, Blairgowrie.”
A 49.9MW battery energy storage system near Jamesfield Garden Centre was refused after members concluded that cumulative impact and loss of prime agricultural land outweighed the benefits. The debate focused on the concentration of battery schemes around the substation, fire/road concerns, and the extent to which policy permits such infrastructure on prime land.
“I have some concerns on this. Um, so trying to pull all that together if I if I can just start my concern is the loss of prime agricultural land which is in contravention of positive 50 of LDP2. So that's that's where I'm coming from. But my concern in here is that uh uh yes ther…”
The council reported substantial capital investment in 2025/26 across schools, roads and transport, flood protection, affordable housing, housing improvements and digital infrastructure. This indicates a significant pipeline of public-sector procurement and contract delivery across multiple infrastructure categories.
“The accounts also reflect a significant level of investments in our assets and our infrastructure. During 2526, the council invested almost 138 million pounds in capital projects across Perth and KOS. This included investment in school infrastructure, roads and transport improvem…”
The committee refused permission for eight holiday accommodation units at Strath Tay after concluding that the proposal would harm the conservation area and fail policy tests for tourism development. Members accepted concerns that the site is the last open riverside space, that the lodge design and layout would not preserve or enhance the area, and that the economic case and tourism need were not adequately demonstrated.
“The law requires special attention when considering applications in a conservation area. NPF4 and LDP2 policies require that development within a conservation area must preserve or enhance its character and appearance. The conservation area appraisal makes clear that the river, t…”
Council approved a responsible busking code of conduct for Perth city centre. The code is intended to balance street performance with protection of residents, businesses and accessibility, and it will be implemented without a licensing regime, using existing enforcement powers and Police Scotland support.
“This report presents for approval a proposed responsible busking code of conduct for Perth city center developed in response to a council motion instructing officers to establish a clear framework for managing busking activity. Busking plays an important role in contributing to t…”
The meeting focused on a series of local review body planning appeals, including a refused barn extension near Bridge of Cally, a refused countryside dwelling at Craigburn House, a successful appeal to remove a visibility-splay condition for a dwelling in Muthill, a refused short-term let conversion in Perth, a deferred house proposal at Western Essendy pending traffic speed and visibility evidence, and a solar panel proposal at South Lodge that was refused after the applicant declined to fund a bat survey. The main procurement-relevant themes were planning-related design, roads, and ecology evidence requirements, with the clearest spend implication being the bat survey cost estimate of £4,000-£5,000.
The meeting focused on Perth and Kinross Council’s wildflower and pollinator habitat programme, including the rollout of planted areas across 60 sites and the involvement of communities, schools, and council teams in delivery. The discussion highlighted biodiversity benefits, consultation-led site selection, and ongoing support for community-led planting, with no explicit contract award or spend decisions stated.
The committee dealt with several major planning applications, including quarry restoration and a linked gun dog training relocation, a 39MW solar farm with battery storage, a 49.9MW battery storage scheme near Jamesfield, a section 42 variation to streamline Perth West phasing, and a contested holiday lodge proposal at Strath Tay. Decisions were mixed: the solar farm and Perth West condition variation were approved, the battery storage scheme was refused on cumulative impact/prime agricultural land grounds, and the Strath Tay lodge scheme was refused due to conservation area harm and policy conflict. The meeting also highlighted repeated debates around cumulative battery storage impacts, road safety, flooding, biodiversity conditions, and the use of prime agricultural land for energy infrastructure.
The committee considered the council’s draft 2025/26 annual accounts, the best value asset management thematic review, internal audit follow-up and service audits, the annual internal audit opinion, the internal audit plan for 2026/27, the national fraud initiative results, and the strategic risk annual report. Key procurement and spend themes included nearly £138m of capital investment in infrastructure, schools, housing and digital assets; ongoing pressure on health and social care, roads and bridges, and energy costs; and improvements needed in asset management data, performance measures, and health and safety compliance. Members also noted low direct fraud losses, a need to review blue badge controls and the potential use of the electoral register for fraud matching.
The meeting focused on the Bears Big Adventure Trail fundraising for YMCA Tayside. The transcript describes how the funds support youth drop-ins, trips, and technology improvements to help young people socialise, build confidence, and access activities after school and at weekends.
The committee dealt with several procurement- and spending-related matters. The biggest operational decision was a six-month suspension of coach and bus parking charges in Pitlochry to mitigate tourist disruption from roadworks, with an estimated income loss of £30,000. Members also discussed a new flood resilience grant scheme, which appeared likely to be oversubscribed quickly and was amended to add £100,000 of community reserves. Other significant items included the year-end financial position, a major council tax policy change for long-term empty dwellings, write-offs of historic debt under new legislation, and approval to seek an expression of interest for Scotland’s first people’s festival in 2027.