The revenue budget was set at £660 million, while the capital budget over the next 15 years was set at £1.157 billion. Reserves were set at £75m, with £9m in general fund reserves (the rest earmarked).

The council also agreed that carbon emissions will be reduced by a minimum of 1445 tCO2e in 2022-23 and a commitment was unanimously agreed in support of the people of Ukraine.

The budget was agreed following the consideration of alternative proposals and a series of votes. As a result, it was set for the coming year at £660m.

Some of what was agreed in the budget is as follows:

• Sustainability targets to be funded to the increased tune of £500,000 from reserves. It will fully fund the council’s sustainability route map drawn up by the Sustainability Committee.
• £1m extra funding to invest in parks and open spaces, burial grounds, and road safety initiatives
• Participatory budgets on leisure, parks and open spaces as well public toilets will get an extra boost. Area teams will be empowered to use extra funding to engage communities to spend around 1.5% of budgets on a participatory basis. This is more than the national targets.

Council leader Councillor Andy Kille said: We have faced unprecedented challenges over the past 2 years, as the pandemic required us to shift our focus, change or stop services, and severely impacted our ability to generate income. Over recent months, Aberdeenshire has been battered by storms which saw infrastructure like roads, telecommunications and power wiped out for days.

“Again, teams stepped up to provide practical support and help communities get back on their feet, but all this impacts on our day-to-day activity and has a direct impact on our budget. Add to that the increasing costs of inflation, staff costs, energy prices and the employer’s contribution to National Insurance – the impact on local councils is significant.”

The 15-year Capital Budget (the strategy for capital investment) was also agreed. This budget resources investment in buildings, land and development opportunities. It is an essential part of the wider medium term financial strategy.

The plan itself outlines nearly £1.2bn investment over 15 years.

Projects within it include ongoing work such as the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme, early years investment across the estate, the development of the Energy from Waste site development, ongoing commitment to school estate development including primaries in Stonehaven and Fraserburgh as well as the new Peterhead Community Campus, due for opening around 2026.

Last year it was agreed to invest in an infrastructure capital fund, and that commitment was restated, with a percentage of the recently agreed Council Tax increase being used to support investment in infrastructure projects such as bridge restoration and road repairs. That fund also dedicated commitment to investment improving Live Life Aberdeenshire facilities.