Life-saving machines in an Aberdeenshire town will be solely in the hands of a community group following a fallout with the local authority.
The Stonehaven and District Community Council (SDCC) will take full responsibility for the maintenance of four Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) donated to them, which they are in the process of finding homes for.
The group had been hoping that two defibrillators could be set up at Aberdeenshire Council properties – Stonehaven Leisure Centre and Mackie Academy.
But after wrangling with the council over a memorandum of understanding – and disagreeing with a proposed policy that bans PADs from listed buildings and properties in conservation areas – the group have decided to go it alone.
And now an insurance agreement setting out the group’s maintenance routine has been settled with Zurich Insurance.
Last night, vice-chairman of the SDCC, Phil Mills-Bishop, said he wants the proposed council policy – which will be discussed next month – to be re-thought.
He added: “We decided that the policy that has been put forward by Aberdeenshire Council is not acceptable and not acceptable on a number of levels.
“They don’t want to pay for them, don’t want to own them or take any responsibility – unlike (the City of) Edinburgh Council who have taken it fully on board.
“We had to make some difficult decisions, the Scottish Ambulance Service’s recommendation was that at least once a month for at least half an hour we do a series of checks on these defibrillators.
“The agreement is we would have to have a maintenance routine and each month have to physically check.
“What we have done is a courageous step as a small community council – taking that on board in terms of maintenance and liability.”
The new council policy also proposes installing defibrillators on the outside of buildings.
One PAD is already situated at Stonehaven’s Co-op on David Street and others are planned for the town square and RNLI boathouse.
A council spokeswoman said the local authority would not be commenting on the matter until after the new policy had been debated by its policy and resources committee, which next meets on June 9.
