Scottish councils set to call on Bellwin emergency aid

12 November 2009

Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond has agreed to reconsider the current Bellwin scheme assistance for local authorities hit by flooding.

In response to a Parliamentary question from West Aberdeenshire MSP Mike Rumbles, who said his local authority was not going to apply for help as it would have to spend £1m to access it, Mr Salmond said he shared other people’s concerns about the situation.

He said the cabinet secretary for finance would look at the idea of lowering the Bellwin threshold as part of a range of responses. The Bellwin scheme enables local authorities to seek 85% government revenue support if they spend more than 0.2% of their budget on emergencies such as flooding. Mr Salmond said average annual council flood spending has risen from £7m to £42m in recent years, but, with a month’s rainfall in 24 hours on 1 November, this situation was unprecedented.

‘I know that the finance secretary, even in these times of enormous financial stringency, will look at Mr Rumbles’ suggestion,’ he said.

Aberdeenshire, which saw 50mm of rain fall on saturated ground in 24 hours, suffered widespread bridge damage and landslips including further slippage in the Bervie Braes south of Stonehaven.

Moray Council, with a Bellwin threshold of £408,000, has already sought assistance following earlier flooding incidents this autumn, which caused around £2m worth of damage. Although not as badly hit as some by the latest incident, it saw two bridges badly damaged including one on the A98 at Cullen. It will require closure for four weeks for repair.

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