Flood-hit Perthshire communities will share more than £750,000 of emergency aid released by the Scottish Government, it has been confirmed.
Homes and businesses which suffered extensive damage during weeks of storms throughout 2015 and early this year are expected to benefit from a huge windfall of Bellwin Scheme cash.
Perth and Kinross Council made a claim for urgent funding after a series of catastrophic events which saw roads blocked, homes swamped and residents evacuated.
There was a question mark over whether the local authority’s bid would be successful after a similar plea for help after parts of Comrie flooded in 2013 was rejected.
In January, Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the scheme was “overly restrictive” and urged the Scottish Government not to leave councils to “soldier on alone”.
The £750,691 pay-out was confirmed to council chiefs in Perth on Thursday afternoon.
Local authority leader Ian Miller, who is local councillor for Alyth which suffered devastating damage last summer, said: “This is very welcome news and will be a great help to us in carrying out the huge list of repairs and replacement of infrastructure across our area.
“Work is still on-going to repair and plan the reinstatement of bridges and other infrastructure throughout Perth and Kinross. It will be a few months before the programme is complete, but we are working as quickly as possible to finalise all of the work.”
Mr Miller said: “I am grateful to the enormous efforts made by council staff in responding to the severe weather events and on-going repair work they have already undertaken.
“My thanks also go to the Scottish Government and their staff for their assistance in compiling the long list of eligible items that were included in the bid. Their help in compiling this complex process has contributed to the successful outcome.”
Perth and Kinross Council spent more than £800,000 on repairs at Alyth following last July’s flooding. The local authority is still working on plans to replace three of the bridges which were washed away or extensively damaged.
Councillor Dennis Melloy said that residents were anxious to know what was happening with the new crossings.
He said he was “absolutely delighted” that the money had been approved. “I sincerely hope and expect that some of this money will now speed up the process of replacing the three footbridges,” he said.
Depute First Minister John Swinney announced £4 million for flood-hit communities across Scotland in his November 2015 budget. But there was further damage caused by major storms over the winter months.
He said: “The Bellwin Scheme is designed by the Scottish Government to assist local authorities who face exceptional costs in handling unforeseen events.
“The weather challenges faced by Perth and Kinross Council put greater strain on local resources and I am pleased the Council has received such strong support from the Scottish Government with this payment.”
He added: “I pay tribute to the many Council staff who worked so hard to support local people and I am glad the Government has been able to offer such assistance.”
The council has about £650,000 in its annual budget to deal with unforeseen emergencies.
