08 February 2016
Aberdeenshire unpaid work teams help communities recover from flooding
People completing Unpaid Work Orders in Aberdeenshire have been clearing up in Aboyne, Maryculter, Ellon and Port Elphinstone alongside staff from landscape and waste services following floods in December and January which affected the area.
During the height of the flooding the Aberdeenshire Unpaid Work Service also helped to transport food, clothing and furniture to affected areas to supply rest centres and households.
In addition, support was also provided to fill sandbags and transport these to storage sites for distribution.
Work has been carried out at:
• HorseBack UK, Aboyne - clearing fallen branches from fields and access roads.
• Glen Tanar Estate, Aboyne – clearing access roads and river banks from flood debris.
• Deeside Caravan Park, Maryculter – collecting and clearing flood debris into skips for disposal.
Ongoing work is taking place at Port Elphinstone to sweep and clear the river bank pathways and the team will also carry out similar work in Ellon and Ballater as well as assisting in the restoration of garden areas in care homes.
Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Social Work and Housing Committee Councillor Anne Allan said: “The unpaid work team can offer valuable assistance especially at times like these when communities need to recover quickly from flooding.
“The collaboration with wider council services involved in the response to flooding as well as flood prevention is a valuable addition to resources.
“I know the businesses, organisations and people that have received support to clear up will join me in thanking the team for the work carried out and I encourage people to get in touch if they have a project the team can work on.”
Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee Councillor David Aitchison said: “The amount of work that has taken place by staff, volunteers and the unpaid work service to support communities across Aberdeenshire is commendable.
“The authority is doing everything it can to mitigate the impact of recent and future weather events from repairs to roads, bridges and buildings to supporting businesses and assessing preventative measures alongside partners.”
Aberdeenshire Unpaid Work Service regularly undertakes work across the area to community centres, village halls, care homes and churches.
In total 41,500 hours of unpaid work took place in 2014/15 and during the flooding the service carried out 168 hours over various projects.
Unpaid work is one of the requirements that can make up a Community Payback Order. The orders are tailored specifically to each offender based on the nature of the offence and any underlying issues they might have such as drug or alcohol misuse. Orders are normally imposed to run for between three months and three years.
Any required unpaid work should be completed within six months of sentence, where more than 100 hours are imposed or three months where it is less than 100 hours.
With the number of orders increasing, the service is always keen to hear about more local projects that could benefit from the help of people undertaking Community Payback Orders.
If you have a community project you would like help with contact Aberdeenshire Council’s Unpaid Work Service at:
Team Manager: joe.walsh@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Projects Officer: john.clark@aberdeenshire.gov.uk (North Aberdeenshire)
Projects Officer: gillian.christie@aberdeenshire.gov.uk (South/Central Aberdeenshire)