Goodbye to Grampian and hello Aberdeenshire

This week marked the 25th anniversary of the reorganisation of local government in the north-east, with the creation of Aberdeenshire Council.

At the start of April, 1996, Banff and Buchan, Gordon and the Kincardine and Deeside councils were merged with the Grampian Regional Council.

The new authority took over control of a vast area and brought together over 10,000 employees.

It also saw the creation of the six area committees whose role it would be to ensure that local decisions were taken.

The inaugural Formartine area committee was lead by Alison McInnes with Brinsley Sheridan as vice-chairman.

Convenor of the council Colin Millar, who said at the time: "Quality counts, and from our predecessor authorities we inherit a legacy of quality people, quality management and quality systems where the customer comes first.

"I speak for our 47 elected members and all of our 11,000 staff when I say that Aberdeenshire Council aims to be a model employer offering a positive and supporting culture to staff.

"Our objective is to be open and honest with the public we serve."

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