What you told us - What we're doing

We asked

The Council Plan is a strategic document setting out how we will meet our communities needs and expectations over the next few years. It is based on outcomes that we want to achieve for Aberdeenshire, focusing on improving the wellbeing of residents and making our region a more sustainable place to live, work and visit. We asked communities for their views on the priorities included in the plan. Participants were asked to what extent they agreed with the Council Plan, how clear and relatable it was, and to let us know about anything they thought was missing from the plan.

You said

285 responses were received. 53% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the Council Plan. Participants suggested that the plan was high level and lacking in detail, however were pleased to see the inclusion of travel as a priority and asked that rural communities should feature in the plan.

We will

Feedback from communities was shared with councillors at a meeting of the full council on 27 June 2024. The full report can be found here. Following discussion, Councillors approved the new Council Plan. Further details on how the Council Plan will be delivered will be provided within Service Business Plans and performance indicators will be established to monitor council activity towards delivering the plan. The Council Plan is now available to read on our website.

We asked

In March and April this year, we engaged with the local community for feedback on our proposed route connecting Montgarrie and Alford. Initial engagement towards the end of 2023 found that the majority of respondents supported the route being developed. Following this support, our designer continued to work on the proposed route through Haughton Country Park. This time we asked the community if the more detailed design fitted their needs and if there were any barriers to accessing the route that hadn’t been identified by the design. We also asked for suggestions to enable people to access and enjoy the route.

You said

Most respondents did not identify any barriers to using the route which hadn’t been addressed by the design. The most common suggestion for improvements that would enable people to use the path was to install clear signage. Some comments received were outwith the limitations and boundaries of the project such as comments on surfacing and lighting. These limitations were outlined in the project information that accompanied the survey.

We will

Our designer is finalising the details of the design following the feedback received. We will start construction of the route during 2024/25. Once construction starts, we will be in a better position to confirm when the route will open to the public.

We Asked

Getting active outdoors is good for us all; coastal paths help visitors enjoy our amazing coastline, and that supports our local businesses, too. Working with Community Councils and various clubs, groups and businesses, Aberdeenshire Council has begun work to look at path improvements between Whitehills and Banff, and Macduff to Tarlair, and we needed the ideas and suggestions from the public to help shape the plans for the project and to then apply for external funding.

For both sections of path, a local stakeholder group was established to oversee this work. We are grateful to the members of these groups for their helpful contributions to the ongoing discussions and preparations. The Consultation was hosted on EngageHQ and supported with hard copy fliers and posters. Participation was driven by a 15-point marketing action plan.

You Said

The results highlight that there were 481 participants, 188 of which provided their contact information in order to receive updates on the project. Both these numbers are encouraging and clearly reflect the strong level of interest in the subject matter.

• The top three uses of the coastal paths are leisure walking (85%), walking dogs (46%) and cycling (24%).
• The top three interests of coastal path users are dolphin spotting (44%), photography (39%) and bird watching (26%).
• 39% of respondents walk daily, 22% walk several times a week and 17% walk once a week.
• 58% walk with one other person, 49% walk with friends and family group and 47% walk with their dog.
• 7% use a walking aid, 7% use a stroller and 3% use a wheelchair.
• 23.5% of respondents use the Whitehills to Banff coast path 1 or 2 times a month, 22.5% use it several times per week and 21% use it approximately weekly.
• 45% of respondents never use the Macduff to Tarlair route and 25% only use it in a good weather, and 14% use it 1 or 2 times per month.
• There was unanimous support for the proposal to create a “spur” path from the marina area, up the hill adjacent to the Castle, through the Town, turning left by St Marys Church and re-connecting to the main path via Low Street and Carmelite Street.
• When looking at preference for refreshments, 76% look for coffee and cake, 30% look for some form of take away refreshments and 17% look for a place for a meal.
• When asked to rank what facilities do you feel coast path users would most benefit from, respondents ranked in order high to low, Information boards (heritage, wildlife etc), signposting to local places of interest and more benches.
• 32% of respondents live in Banff, 22% live in Macduff and 19% live in Whitehills.
• 27% of respondents are in the 55-64 years of age bracket, 26% are in the 45-54 years of age bracket and 18% are in the 35-44 age bracket.
• Favourite walks are between Whitehills – Links – Banff (21%), Duff House & Wrack Woods (5%) and Bridge of Alvah (4%).
• Lastly, the subjects the respondents shared on topics we did not specifically address in the main questions were provision of publicly accessible toilets (4%), provision of dog poo bins and litter bins (4%), coastal erosion (4%) and signposting, waymarking and interpretation (information boards) (3%).

We Will

Work is now underway on a detailed specification and a route map for both sections of coast path. Once this available and costed, the stakeholder groups will review this in conjunction with the full consultation results. Following this, funding applications would be prepared to fund the coast path development in a phased approach. This will be based on the work which can be enabled as a result of the decisions/permissions secured from external bodies.

During the intervening period we will provide project updates to keep all stakeholders and interested parties up to date.

We asked

We asked for views on our Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES). The strategy aims to guide heat delivery across all building types in Aberdeenshire, setting out a vision for the heat transition and improving building energy efficiency.

You said

You can read about the consultation response here: Documents | Aberdeenshire Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (Draft) | Engage Aberdeenshire

We will

Following the consultation, comments were considered and the draft strategy amended as appropriate. The Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy is being presented to Full Council Committee on the 27th June 2024. We will update in due course following the committee decision.

We asked

The Auchenblae Parks Committee submitted an Asset Transfer request to take ownership of the former Public Conveniences in the village of Auchenblae. The proposal was to renovate one half of the building into communal toilets with a disabled cubicle and baby changing area. The other half of the building to be used for storage facilities for a number of local groups in the area to store their equipment. The community were asked for their views on whether they supported or objected to the proposal.

You said

We received 10 representations in relation to the proposal with most views supporting the plan to offer toilet facilities again. A number of comments made reference to the importance of having public toilets and should be delivered by the Local Authority. However, the running of public toilets is not a statutory duty of Local Authorities and due to reduction in budgets it has been necessary to reduce some functions in order to direct funding to our core statutory activities. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 encourages and empowers communities to take ownership of assets that Local Authorities can no longer afford to manage. All of the documents relating to the Asset Transfer request and public comments can be viewed on the Council’s website – Asset Transfer - Auchenblae Public Toilets - Aberdeenshire Council.

We will

The Asset Transfer request was considered at the Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee on 12 June 2024 and unanimously agreed that this was a worthy proposal. The Council will now formally transfer the Public Convenience building to the Auchenblae Parks Committee.

We asked

People living in Aberdeenshire who have received or are in the process of receiving a diagnosis of dementia, should be offered one year of support to help them and their family. This is known as post diagnostic support. Post diagnostic support is provided by our Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams and was previously also provided by Alzheimer Scotland.

The Partnership ran some engagement sessions in Summer 2023 to hear about and understand people’s experiences of receiving a diagnosis of dementia and the support that followed. We held 3 face to face events in Peterhead, Ellon and Banchory and asked people to complete a survey to give us their views.

We would like to thank everyone who completed the survey or attended a face-to-face session. Your feedback has enhanced our understanding of what is important to people living with dementia and unpaid carers in Aberdeenshire, and we used this information to support some areas of work moving forward.

You said

People with a diagnosis of dementia told us that they found the support provided from the Older Adult Community Mental Health Team’s 'very helpful.'

Families / Relatives told us:

'We had excellent support from CMHT and SALT.'

'Helped with forms and visited, will keep in touch for a year.'

Relative 'with dementia was unaware of support offered but I found it helpful.'

'Wouldn’t have managed without the support of the mental health nurses.'

How we will use your feedback

We Asked

In February we published a draft calendar for the school holidays, term dates, and in-service days for the next five years (2025/26 through to 2029/30) to gather the views of parents, carers, pupils, staff and the wider public before dates were finalised.

You Said

We received a total of 7381 responses to this survey of which:

• 2025/26 – 83% responded yes or no preference to the proposed term dates and holiday pattern.
• 2026/27 – 79% responded yes or no preference to the proposed term dates and holiday pattern.
• 2027/28 – 81% responded yes or no preference to the proposed term dates and holiday pattern.
• 2028/29 – 82% responded yes or no preference to the proposed term dates and holiday pattern.
• 2029/30 - 82% responded yes or no preference to the proposed term dates and holiday pattern.

We Will

The school holiday, term dates, and in-service dates for 2025/26 through to 2029/30 were approved by Committee on the 30^th May 2024 and will shortly be published on our website.

Aberdeenshire Council, on behalf of the Health and Social Care Partnership, purchase support at home services from private and third sector care providers that have a place on a framework agreement. Support at Home Services are for people who meet eligibility criteria aged 16 years and over with a range of needs, who require assistance through visiting or 24/7 support to live independently and to develop, regain or retain their daily living skills, through provision of personal care, personal support and/or housing support.

We Asked

We asked people who use support at home services in Aberdeenshire to help them live independently for their views on how the framework is running.

You Said

The survey targeted people with experience of support at home services arranged by Social Workers and Care Managers and provided by private and third sector suppliers but responses told us about experiences of care provision in general. Responses indicate not all people are able to access flexible and responsive services when they need them. Those respondents receiving services are having their outcomes met and are positive about service quality; but access to care in some localities is very difficult and people are aware of recruitment challenges.

We Will

The feedback has helped to inform a service review on Support at Home in Aberdeenshire, and it has been shared with the Care at Home Oversight Group and Commissioning and Procurement Group. The current contracts for Support at Home services have been extended to March 31^st, 2026 to provide an opportunity to embed and scale up outcome based approaches and person-centred practice, and to build on collaborative and innovative models of care.

We asked

In early February we published, and invited comments upon, a draft Development Plan Scheme 2024, the document that we are required to publish annually that sets out the timetable for the production of the Local Development Plan, and our proposals for consultation on the content of that document.

You said

Following discussion of the response to that Consultation (the details of which are contained in appendix 2 of the Infrastructure Services Committee held on 19 May 2024) Aberdeenshire Council has agreed a revised Development Plan Scheme that we are now implementing.

The feedback that we received was of huge help to us in finalising this document, which now reflects the observations made by respondents relating to, amongst other things, the clarity of the document, issues related to the risk for further delay to the programme, clarity on the role of Local Place Plans, and providing a separate “FAQ” document to promote better understanding of some of the terms and processes that the Development Plan Scheme refers to.

We will

This approved document has now been published on our website at https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/plans-and-policies/process-and-timescales/. We hope that you find this document of use to you in understanding how we propose to develop the Local Development Plan, and the opportunities for you to be involved in its production.

We asked

Aberdeenshire Council is committed to fulfilling its duties relating to reducing carbon emissions from transport, creating opportunities for health improvement, and supporting measures to improve access between our settlements. Strategic or longer distance active travel routes provide an alternative option to the car when considering journeys to the shops, visiting friends or travelling to school. Rural routes create more opportunities to access the countryside and can help stimulate local economic growth. Providing high quality routes such as a link between Ellon and Newburgh in particular will be an attractive option for a day trip for locals and visitors alike.

In this public engagement exercise, we provided the feasibility design drawings for the new cycleway, and included street side visualisations of what the scheme may look like if implemented. We have asked the community about their traveling habits, their view about this scheme and finally their opinion about the proposed design.

You said

We have received a total of 502 responses to this survey, with 1,066 recorded visits to the consultation website.

Of those who responded, there is a clear desire for the route to be provided, with 93.6% of respondents indicating that they agree in principle that the route should be built, and 83.5% indicating that the proposed route would encourage them to undertake active travel more regularly. The results also provide insights into the current barriers to active travel which the respondents perceive, and that the proposed route would aid in overcoming those. The majority of respondents indicated that they would most likely use the route for leisure purposes (71.2%), and for cycling (50.3%). With regards to the specifics of the proposed design, 80.4% of respondents felt that the design would be attractive to use, and 96.7% felt that that the proposed path width would be sufficient. A clear preference for a fully-bound tarmacked path was demonstrated, with 59.6% of respondents selecting this option whilst 59.3% of respondents indicated that the surface type was a more important design consideration than the path width.

We will

Develop a final design for the project taking into account the feedback received and comments made from the public engagement and direct stakeholder consultation. We will commission impact assessments to support the design development and will continue to engage positively with affected stakeholders as the project develops.