Flood Protection: £2 Million for Aberdeenshire Council

Aberdeenshire Council will receive more than £2 million of special financial assistance from the Scottish Government to help deal with the damage caused by last year’s unprecedented storms.

Local authorities in the north east also received more than £10 million funding this financial year to take forward priority flood protection schemes in their areas.

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay announced the funding ahead of his visit to the north east. He said: “There’s no doubt that Aberdeenshire was among the areas hit the hardest by last year’s flooding which is why this £2 million of funding will be welcome news to the council and communities affected by Storm Frank.”

Co-Leader Councillor Alison Evison added: “We will continue our support for the communities that have been affected, both in terms of practical support and in providing advice on increasing resilience against severe weather. As this work goes on we are also progressing major flood protection schemes in Huntly and Stonehaven.”

The emergency funding through the Bellwin Scheme, will go towards meeting costs incurred through Storm Frank which caused devastation in the area in December 2015 and January 2016.

The Bellwin Scheme is discretionary funding which exists to give special financial assistance to councils who face an undue financial burden as a result of large-scale emergencies.