Xander McDade

It has been great to see so much positivity within the community about the Pitlochry UK Town of Culture 2028 Bid. Huge thanks to Pitlochry Community Action Trust - PCAT, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Perth and Kinross Council for coming together and helping lead the bid on behalf of the community.

Working with our community and in collaboration with Perth and Kinross Council and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, PCAT has submitted Pitlochry’s application to become the !

Thank you SO much to everyone who took the time to contribute 🙌🙌 We’ve had people of all ages and from all walks of life engaging with the application process and putting forward ideas and suggestions that have been included in the submission.

This is a wonderful opportunity, and we know there’s some serious competition out there but Pitlochry has a great story to tell and we want to share it with the world!

Please be aware the Pitlochry Public Toilets will be closed for essential maintenance on Tuesday 31st March.

Please note Pitlochry Public Toilets will be closed on Tuesday 31 March for essential maintenance.

Important update on the Loch Tay diesel spill.

Update on Loch Tay diesel spill.

Following the diesel spill incident near Killin, clean-up activities are in place, led by SEPA and Scottish Water.

There is evidence of some contamination in Loch Tay which may be travelling downstream into the River Tay.

Scottish Water has taken precautionary measures to safeguard the public drinking water supply in Peth and Kinross and continues to monitor the situation.

If your property uses a private water supply that abstracts water from Loch Tay or the River Tay, please report any suspected contamination of your water to Scottish Water on 0800 0778 778.

As a precaution it is advised not to enter the water in Loch Tay or the River Tay in the Highland Perthshire or Stirling Council areas, or allow pets to enter the water, at this time.

We will provide any further updates when they become available.

Please note Scottish Water’s information and support point remains open at McLaren Hall, Main Street, Killin, FK21 8TN, and their customer support staff can be contacted on 0800 0778 778 for any queries.

Curling is such an important part of our sporting history here in Perthshire so it is vital we protect it for future generations. It is time for the Council to rethink its approach to ice sports.

Provost hopes Team GB curling final encourages council 'rethink' over Dewars Centre in Perth The ice rink was not included in the local authority's controversial plan for a new PH2O leisure facility at Thimblerow.

Update - Glenlyon Primary School is open as normal today, Thursday 8 January 2026.

Should any schools be closed today, details will be available on our website at www.pkc.gov.uk/schoolclosures.

Wishing everyone across Perth & Kinross a very Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2026!

Please be aware that bin collections which would normally take place on Thursdays and Fridays will instead take place on Saturdays and Sundays over the two weeks of the festive period. There is also no garden/food waste pick up over this period either. A small number of addresses have received a letter that advises of specific arrangements for their area - if this applies to you then please go with what is on your letter.

Yesterday the council again considered the proposal to sell the old Council Chamber at 1-5 High Street for £1 and give a £1.9 million grant to the London based developer. We required to take this decision again as the original company selected by the Council went into liquidation.

Sadly, I and others were unable to convince a majority of our colleagues to look at alternative options for the building and the new company was approved at the Council meeting by 31 votes in favour with 6 votes against and 2 abstentions. I’d like to thank Bailie Alasdair Bailey, the Labour Councillor, who moved the amendment to look at other options and the four other independent councillors who supported the amendment.

The Council has taken far too long to progress the disposal of this and many other buildings in our estate that are now surplus to requirements but that is not in my view a reason to make the wrong decision. We have significant housing need across Perth & Kinross and the amendment would have instead allowed the exploration of this as one of a suite of options for councillors to consider that would have benefited local residents.

The awarding of this grant will cost the taxpayer £4.275 million in borrowing costs over the next 50 years of the loan term. Imagine the many community priorities that could’ve been used to support instead of subsidising a private company to such a significant level.

One of the key arguments put forward by those who supported the proposal yesterday was that the disposal of this building for £1 and the annual borrowing costs associated with awarding of the £1.9m grant will effectively be neutralised out by what we currently spend on maintenance annually. The current maintenance costs - the majority of which is made up of business rates - is roughly the same as the annual borrowing costs will be. However, this is based on an assumption that we just let it sit there forever and do nothing with it - it doesn’t consider the proposals in the amendment that proposed leasing the building (for a hotel or other purpose) which would bring in a rental income or conversion to housing which would have brought in council tax revenue.

The current proposal is also a dramatic change from the original scheme proposed by the developer and is no longer a full service five star hotel that was originally envisioned where the former historic spaces such as the old courtroom and council chamber would be on show. This would have filled a genuine gap in the Perth area accommodation market. Instead it is now going to be serviced accommodation with little or no food and beverage provision on site meaning it will create less jobs and training opportunities. This means local accommodation businesses will now be competing against a publicly subsidised competitor who will be able to offer cheaper rates due to the low levels of service on offer and this will make it harder for those businesses to invest as they have to cut rates to compete.

Finally, thank you to the many members of the public who took the time to contact me with their concerns. It is clear to me that there is strong opposition to this from the “chattering classes” and the wider public who have contacted me.

Controversial Perth luxury hotel deal agreed for former council chambers A majority of councillors voted in favour of the controversial plan, which includes a £1.9m grant for the London-based hotel developer

I have been asked about how to watch today’s Council meeting. Live broadcast links are posted on the Council website for all meetings of the full Council and committees. You can also always watch in person in the chamber.

The discussions on the future of 1-5 High Street and the indicative rate setting of Council Tax for six years will take place in part 2 of the meeting after lunch.

CMIS > Meetings Meeting Details Live Broadcast Perth and Kinross Council - 10 December 2025 (Part 1) Perth and Kinross Council - 10 December 2025 (Part 2) Meeting Summary Committee: Perth and Kinross Council Date/Time: 10 Dec 2025 - 10:00 to 15:00 Status: Scheduled Venue: the Council Chamber Add to my Calendar Docu...

On Wednesday I will again be voting against the proposal to give £1.9m of Council funds to a private company based in London for the third time. This is part a proposed deal where the former Council offices at 1-5 High Street, Perth are being sold to a developer for £1 to convert into a hotel. At a time when Council finances are under huge pressure and our communities are being told we are going to have to cut back on services and facilities they value I will absolutely not support such a poor use of taxpayer money.

Perth Provost brands £1.9m council grant for boutique hotel developer an 'outrage' to local businesses Xander McDade says local businesses will be horrified at the prospect of £1.9m in public funding going to a London-based developer and not them

It was a privilege to support Perthshire Women’s Aid in marking 50 years of them supporting women experiencing domestic abuse across Perthshire. Organisations such as Perthshire Women’s Aid are still sadly necessary in the 21st century and it is estimated that 1 in 8 women in the U.K. have been the victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the last year alone. Perth & Kinross Council remains committed to working with public and third sector partners to support women affected by these abhorrent crimes and to promote awareness and education to bring an end to them.