£160,000 has been secured for 2024/25 from a combination of sources, including Angus Council climate change reserves; Angus Rural Partnership; and an SSEN grant award.

Following approval of the scheme by elected members at last week’s Policy and Resources Committee, the council is inviting applications from resilience groups across Angus.

From Friday 1 November 2024, applications will be welcomed from community groups based in Angus and that deliver and support resilience in the Angus Council area. Information and application requirements can be found here.

The fund is intended for communities that could be impacted by flooding and other events that require community resilience. It will support constituted community groups, or those in the process of becoming constituted, in Angus that have, or are in the process of, creating resilience plans to help them respond to emergencies in their local communities.

The long-term aim is to strengthen and build capacity in local groups so they can be self-sustaining in the future.

It is divided into two funding streams, providing £50,000 for community resilience and £110,000 for flooding-related emergency resilience.

The 2023 flooding in Angus has highlighted the need for increased support for the communities that have been affected and may face future impacts.

Community resilience is based on a culture of preparedness, in which individuals, communities and organisations take responsibility to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.

Communities have been and will continue to be supported through workshops, one-to-one support, training on the development and running of a resilience group in their locality.

Cllr Mark McDonald, Communities convener, said: “Our Resilience team and colleagues in the Vibrant Communities Community Development team have worked closely to support the commitment, resources and energies of those citizens who step forward at times of great need.

“The Community Resilience Forum came into being six years ago and over that time all concerned have worked hard to nurture a culture of preparedness, in which individuals, communities and organisations take responsibility to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.

“We know all too well in Angus about the damage that weather and infrastructure emergencies have on our communities, lives and livelihoods. It is an ever-increasing challenge to try and keep pace with climate change and the increased risks it brings of severe weather and flooding. But we must all do all that is in our collective abilities to try to ensure we are as prepared and as resilient as we possibly can be.

“I hope that this fund will help to contribute towards the superb efforts of resilience groups and, through them, the many volunteers who place themselves on the front line at such times of emergency in Angus.”

The fund will remain open for applications until Friday 22 November 2024 and final decision of funding awards will be made by Friday 6 December 2024. Applicants will be informed of the outcome soon after.