Local Blog
Just Transition Fund 2025
🌱 Year 4 of the Scottish Government’s Just Transition PB Fund is now live!
Community groups and third sector organisations in #Aberdeen, #Aberdeenshire & #Moray can apply for a share of ÂŁ1 million to support green, sustainable projects that make a real impact!
đź’·Â Apply for up to ÂŁ50,000 of capital funding to bring your eco-friendly ideas to life. Whether it’s enhancing local green spaces, promoting renewable energy, or encouraging sustainable transport, your project can make a real difference in your community.
💡 Get funded to deliver projects such as…
🌱 Community gardens
🔋 Renewable energy installations
🚲 Active travel initiatives
🏡 Energy-efficient building upgrades
♻️ Recycling and waste reduction schemes
🌳 Biodiversity and conservation projects
Since 2022, the fund has distributed ÂŁ3.5million to support 144 local projects – now it’s your turn to make a difference!
📝 Find out more, be inspired by past projects and apply now at jtpbfund.scot
Employability Drop In Sessions
Need help with interviews, CVs, or job
applications?
Looking for a job?
Drop in and chat with the employability team! No appointment
needed, just come along!
Kincardine & Mearns Spring E Bulletin 2025
Welcome to our latest newsletter packed with updates and information for communities across Kincardine and Mearns.
Stonehaven Beach Front Improvements and Belmont Brae One Way Schemes Public Consultation – tell us what you think.
Following the Stonehaven Traffic Management review which asked the people of Stonehaven their views and aspiration on the current road network within Stonehaven, a number of comments were raised in relation to parking, road allocation and pedestrian space.
Two schemes have been designed by Aberdeenshire Councils Road teams and at this stage the opinion of the general public is being sought before further details of the designs will move forward.
Please click on this link to tell us your views.
Kincardine and Mearns Climate Awareness and Adaptation
In partnership with NESCAN, Aberdeenshire Council’s Kincardine and Mearns Community Planning team is launching a survey which will give local residents an opportunity to comment on climate change and explain how it affects them and their communities.
It will form a key part in the team’s refresh of its Local Community Plan and, by gaining a better understanding of the impacts locally, the team will be in a better position to provide support and appropriate information to its communities.
The short survey will ask if people have been affected by extreme weather events such as flooding, storm damage and even heat waves which have provided challenges for those on private water supplies which have run dry.
It will also ask how concerned communities are about the effects of climate change and if residents are making any adaptations in their daily life which may help tackle climate change – be it buying locally-produced goods, using energy-efficient lightbulbs, reducing trips by car where possible, reducing air travel and even repairing o repurposing items
Communities will also be asked whether they would benefit from learning more about what can be done to tackle the effects of climate change and what type of resources, support or information would be beneficial to them.
You can access the survey at: https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/kincardine-and-mearns-climate-awareness-and-adaptation
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT TEAM CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITIES TO GET BETTER BROADBAND
Communities across Aberdeenshire are being urged to investigate the opportunities for better broadband this year. That’s the message from Aberdeenshire Council’s Digital Engagement Team which supports northeast residents, businesses and communities to obtain better digital services.
Want to find out more, click on this link to read the digital engagement team’s newsletter.
Kincardine and Mearns Summer edition 2023
Welcome to our new and improved Newsletter packed with lots of updates and information for communities across Kincardine and Mearns. Staff from K&M Area Team and the K&M Community Planning Partnership have joined forces to bring you this Newsletter. We would love to hear from you too, and if you have any news or stories that you want to include, please get in touch using the contact details at the end of this Newsletter.
| Kincardine and Mearns Summer edition 2023 |
| In this newsletter, you will find lots of useful information and links relating to – |
| Go to this Sway |
Kincardine and Mearns Spring Bulletin 2023
Welcome to our new and improved Newsletter packed with lots of updates and information for communities across Kincardine and Mearns. Staff from K&M Area Team and the K&M Community Planning Partnership have joined forces to bring you this Newsletter. We would love to hear from you too, and if you have any news or stories that you want to include, please get in touch using the contact details at the end of this Newsletter. Click on the link to access this newsletter.
| Kincardine and Mearns Spring Bulletin 2023 |
| In this newsletter, you will find lots of useful information and links relating to – |
| Go to this Sway |
Aberdeenshire Council seeking more feedback on household recycling centre trial
Aberdeenshire Council is seeking more feedback on its trial of changes to household
recycling centre bookings, which has been ongoing since November 2022.
Aberdeenshire residents can have their say online via the council’s engage platform.
As well as the online survey, paper copies can be requested from household recycling
centres to ensure that as many people as possible are engaged, and all feedback is gratefully
received.
Any complaints or compliments throughout the trial are included among the criteria for its
assessment—as is car counting data, the tonnages of materials deposited, the cost of the
materials being disposed of, and feedback from additional customer surveying such as this.
There will be a review of all the data with a report due before committee in the autumn.
The survey will run until Sunday 6th August 2023 and any queries should be sent to
recyclingcentrepermits@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.
The booking system was first introduced as a traffic management tool and as a protective
measure for customers and staff when centres opened after the covid lockdown in March 2020.
Since then, the booking system has been used to implement the permit system that
was approved by committee before covid—by applying limits to the number of times trade
type vehicles can access household recycling centres in a year.
You can learn more about the trial on the Aberdeenshire Council website.
The booking system trial can be summarised as…
- No booking is required for any vehicle at any time at Alford, Banchory, Fraserburgh,
Huntly, Macduff, Peterhead, and Portsoy household recycling centres; - No bookings on Wednesdays or Saturdays for cars, pickups, camper vans, and
mobility adapted vehicles at Ellon, Laurencekirk, Portlethen (not open on Wednesday),
Stonehaven, and Turriff. Please note, booking is still required for vans and trailers; - Booking is always required for Insch, Inverurie, and Westhill.
Regardless of the trial, residents should check the website before visiting a recycling centre in
case of closure, information or alterations to what is accepted, and opening times:
bit.ly/AbshireHRCs
Pedestrian access is removed at times when the booking system is not active at a site as they
can no longer be safely separated from vehicles.
Stagecoach Invites Customers to Feedback on Proposed Timetable Changes in Stonehaven, Portlethen and Newtonhill
- Stagecoach local consultation event will be held at Stonehaven Town Hall from 7-9pm on
Wednesday June 28th - Listening to customer feedback, plans to introduce a new Service X6, connecting Stonehaven
with Portlethen Shopping Centre, Cove and Aberdeen up to every hour. - Proposed revisions to timetables of services 7 and 7B to improve punctuality.
- Proposed improvements for services to Newtonhill Park & Choose, including later journeys.
Stagecoach Bluebird invites customers to give feedback on proposed changes to timetables for
services between Aberdeen and Stonehaven, including Portlethen, Newtonhill and Chapelton.
For a number of years, public feedback received during consultation has shaped the local bus
network, offering better connections for the local communities to the places that matter most to
them.
The proposals come following an extensive review of the network and travel patterns. Bus services
are vital for connecting communities to jobs, education and leisure opportunities. The proposed
changes aim to reflect the level of customer demand in different areas and ensure that the network
can operate sustainably.
Many of the proposals are a direct result of feedback received from customers and the wider
community. This includes the planned introduction of new service X6. This hourly service would
restore the connection between Stonehaven and Portlethen Shopping Centre, whilst improving
access to employment areas such as Gateway Business Park and Altens Industrial Estate. Service X6
would also serve the busy residential area of Cove, providing new travel opportunities to the South
of the city.
Stagecoach plans to introduce the new timetables in August 2023, once feedback from customers
has been gathered and final adjustments have been made.
Daniel Laird, Commercial Director for Stagecoach Bluebird said: “We invite customers to give their
feedback about our planned revisions to the Stonehaven corridor bus network. Everything we have
planned is to best use our fleet of buses to meet the travel habits in the area as well as improving the
punctuality of the services. We continue to invest in our people and in our fleet so that we can
deliver improved services to our customers.”
Feedback can be submitted via email to bluebird.consultations@stagecoach.com (before Thursday
6th July) or in person at the consultation events scheduled to be held at Stonehaven Town Hall on
June 28th from 7pm – 9pm and Union Square Bus Station on June 28th from 7am – 9am and 4pm –
6pm.
Full details of the proposed changes, including draft timetables can be found here:
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID20/06/2023-11:14:18:918
Full details of Stonehaven corridor changes are as follows:
Service X6
This new service will operate with an hourly frequency, connecting Stonehaven with Newtonhill Park
& Choose, Portlethen Shopping Centre, Gateway Business Park, Cove, Wellington Road and Aberdeen
city centre. Additionally, journeys at peak times will also serve Altens Industrial Estate. The timetable
for this service has been designed to cater for shift workers at various employment centres, including
the McIntosh Donald meat processing site.
Service X7
The hourly service between Aberdeen, Stonehaven and Perth will continue as presently. Shorter
journeys currently operated between Aberdeen and Stonehaven will be replaced by service X6 (see
above).
Service 7/7A/7B
Services 7 and 7B will see a revised timetable which will improve punctuality and offer a consistent
experience to customers, following extensive analysis of traffic patterns on the route. The services
will continue to offer convenient connections toPortlethen, Newtonhill, Chapelton and Stonehaven.
Customers will benefit from additional eveningjourneys to Newtonhill Park and Choose, providing
better connections to Aberdeen city centre.
Service 7A journeys which currently serve Altens Industrial Estate will be replaced by equivalent
journeys on services X6 and 7B.
How to give feedback
In Person: Wednesday 28th June, Stonehaven Town Hall 19:00 – 21:00
Wednesday 28th June, Union Square Bus Station 07:00 – 09:00 and 16:00 – 18:00
Via Email: bluebird.consultations@stagecoach.com (before Thursday 6th July).
Begin 2023 by being prepared
Emergency services across Grampian are coming together to encourage people to be prepared for the rest of the winter and beyond in 2023, with advice on how to make sure we can all stay safe, warm and well.
Have you got all the most important phone numbers you would like to have to hand in an emergency written down? Is there anything that would be helpful to have during a power cut or extreme weather? Do you know where to turn to if you are in need of a bit of extra support?
NHS Grampian’s Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability who has a lead role in civil contingency planning, Paul Allen explains: “Prevention is better than cure and this includes public preparedness for emergencies. Not only does planning offer some peace of mind, it can also help take pressure off services so they can help those most in need during difficult times. Helping our communities to stay well is a key part of our Plan for the Future and we recently launched a winter support booklet which has lots of helpful advice.
“If you’re not sure where to start, visit www.nhsgrampian.org/winter-support Even if it’s not for you, this can help you assist other more vulnerable people. The Ready Scotland website at www.ready.scot is a great reference tool too. It includes a template for an emergency checklist and how to prepare, what to do during an emergency and how to get involved in helping in your local neighbourhood.”
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has a Priority Services Register you can sign up for if you might need extra support in the event of a power cut. This is especially important if you rely on essential medical equipment and is easy to sign up for. They also have a free Power Track app for everyone to access local power cut information and updates.
Shona Horn, SSEN Distribution’s Customer Relationship Manager, said: “We invest millions of pounds every year to make sure that our network delivers a safe and reliable supply of electricity for all our customers – but even with this investment there are still occasions when the power goes off, and so we want to help our customers to be as resilient as possible at times like these, while our teams work hard to get supplies restored.
“Our Priority Services Register offers eligible customers free help and support when the power goes off. It started nearly eight years ago and now has over 785,000 customers signed up, but we know there may still be people out there who either don’t know about the service at all, or who aren’t aware that they may be eligible to sign up. We’re also encouraging our customers to consider a Home Emergency Plan, so that they have all the important phone numbers and people to contact in one handy location, ready to use should the need ever arise.”
Visit http://www.ssen.co.uk/psr for more information about SSEN’s Priority Services Register and to find out more about the app, go to: www.ssen.co.uk/powertrack
The health board’s winter support website (www.nhsgrampian.org/winter-support) covers everything from the numbers to call if you’re in need of emergency food, fuel or money, to healthy, affordable recipes to help everyone stay well. There’s even pointers on gas and fire safety, as well as all the key contacts for health services.
Ready Scotland’s (www.ready.scot) checklist includes the following important numbers:
Emergency services – 999
Non-Emergency police support – 101
NHS 24 – 111
Floodline Scotland – 0345 988 1188
Loss of power – 105
Gas emergencies – 0800 111 999
Scottish Water – 0800 077 8778
It also includes space for you to write down your own essential contacts, such as childcare, vet, plumber, insurance, work, doctor, dentist and utility provider contact details. The website also provides lots of helpful links to information and advice on things like dealing with travel disruption or coping with trauma, and how and where to link in with local groups who may be working together to support your community.
K&M Communities 