Aberdeenshire has just had one of the worst winters in recent years but not by any means that rare an event for them.

In February 2025, by a vote of 43 to 21 the council voted for a budget including it its appendices a plan to remove 1 200 out of 2 100 grit bins.

From the minute on page 39:

Winter Maintenance Fund – Allocated for unexpected winter and emergency operations. The existing revenue budget is based on a mild winter scenario, meaning additional funding may be required in harsher conditions, however the reserve was drawn down in 2023/24 and not replenished as part of the 2024/25 budget setting, there is no proposal to replenish as part of the 2025/26 budget setting.

The main opposition (SNP group) proposed an alternative fully-costed budget that would have avoided this and other “draconian” cuts, but it was not adopted.

The vote on the grit bin removals (technically, the decision not to refill grit bins that fail current risk-based assessment criteria, leading to removal of around 1,200 out of over 2,100 bins) was not a standalone item but part of the overall Aberdeenshire Council Revenue Budget for 2025/26 (and medium-term financial strategy) approved at the Full Council meeting on 27 February 2025.

Source:

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://aberdeenshire.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s30329/2025%2002%2027%20OppositionBudget.pdf