10 November 2020

Tremendous response from Aberdeenshire business groups as they secure vital Phoenix Fund cash

North east business groups have rallied to secure vital cash from the Aberdeenshire Town Centre Phoenix Fund.

The new one-off grant scheme was launched by Aberdeenshire Council in May to help the region’s town centres bounce back from the economic impact of Covid-19.

Revenue grants of either £10,000 or £5,000 were offered to one project in each eligible town centre through the £190,000 fund created from a mixture of council reserves and proceeds from the Coastal Communities Fund.

Matt Lockley, Economic Development service manager at Aberdeenshire Council, welcomed the tremendous response from collaborative business and community-led projects as they re-launch their town centre economies.

He said: “I am delighted to announce that 25 town centre organisations have applied for and been successful in receiving this vital money for a number of projects ranging from marketing to include building a phone app, loyalty schemes and digital resilience to initiatives looking to promote trails and walking and mini public realm - the list is very varied. Our teams will also continue providing advice and support to businesses as they strive to bring shoppers back into their town centres.”

The council intentionally chose to keep the criteria for the fund fairly flexible and allow business leaders to decide how best to use these funds in their local area.

Infrastructure Services Committee chair, Councillor Peter Argyle, said: “This has been a very difficult and challenging time for all our businesses and it was vital we provided our town centres with the means to battle back and inspire shoppers to return to the high street.

“Our town centres are important retail, service and social places and have, for many years, been trying to adapt to increasing competition from out of town and online shopping opportunities. I am confident that our significant investment in these projects will reap benefits for businesses in the months to come.”

Vice-chair Councillor John Cox added: “We know the pandemic has had a huge impact on businesses and jobs. Town centres businesses have been hit hard by the emergency lockdown measures with the increasing competition from online suppliers outwith the locality, but we believe there are also new opportunities to be embraced.

“We have witnessed more and more residents choosing to shop locally in Aberdeenshire – but now is the time not only to sustain this shopping habit but ensure this grows and develops. In order to do this we must all rally round to support our local shops, services and trades with the aim of getting our town centres vibrant and back to some kind of normality.”

Communities across Aberdeenshire have been very appreciative of the financial support via the bespoke Phoenix Fund, with many - especially the smaller populations - viewing it as a real game changer. It is intended that all the projects will be completed by September 2021.