A formal group is a constituted group. This is groups who are affiliated with a governing body ie Football clubs, Basketball Club, Groups with Charity Status.
An informal group is a non-constituted group. An informal group is a social structure formed spontaneously among individuals based on shared interests, values, or goals, without any formal management involvement. Unlike formal groups, informal groups do not have defined roles, rules, or hierarchies. Members join voluntarily and can leave at their discretion.
Examples: Knit and natter, a group of friends having a kick about not associated in a league, birthday party, social gatherings.
We now ask for a minimum of 28 days’ notice for any new hire applications. You may receive approval before this, however, please do not chase the progress of your application until the 28 days have passed.
You must contact the ECS Hire Team directly via email at ecs.hires@aberdeenshire.gov.uk You must provide 7 days’ notice.
No, the law states that training must be appropriate with the activity. So long as you can demonstrate this, there is no need for formal training.
This will be determined on what type of event was taking place, for events where you will be serving food, then a minimum of at least one person should hold an elementary food hygiene certificate and the leader hold an intermediate food hygiene certificate. This certificate must be dated within the last three years and be current on the day of the event(s). The holder of the certificate is required to be present at the event(s).
Yes – to use the School Commercial Kitchen a food hygiene certificate will be required.
Formal or Constituted Groups must have Public Liability Insurance (PLI) for Hires, if you do not provide this, your application will be refused. You have 14 days from submission of your hire form to provide the PLI thereafter your application will be deleted, and a new application form will need to be completed. The exception to this is informal groups, individuals or specific one-off bookings, for example a private children’s birthday party where no PLI is required.
The expectation would be that the hirer has had sight of the Public Liability Insurance (PLI) for £5 million, Risk Assessments and Food Hygiene Certificates for the third-party vendor.
Yes, your group should have a risk assessment for any activity carried out in or on Aberdeenshire property. ECS Hire Team reserves the right to require submission of any risk assessment. You have 14 days from submission of your hire form to provide the Risk Assessment thereafter your application will be deleted, and a new application form will need to be completed.
Hires will be charged annually; therefore, you will receive an invoice after your booking has been approved.
Invoices can be paid online, by phone, at a PayPoint location or by telephone/internet banking. Further details of this are on the reverse of an issued invoice. Please see additional information at the end of these FAQ’s. Direct debit is available for block bookings.
Queries relating to the invoice detail should be directed to the ECS Hire Team. The Income Management Team can be contacted at Fiincman@aberdeenshire.gov.uk regarding method of payment.
All grass pitch / playing field hires will be charged per hour.
Please find further information regarding the booking of weekly fixtures at Aberdeenshire Council sites: Football Groups with Fixtures
The process for the booking of fixture slots differs slightly from the process of block training bookings.
Applications for individual weekly fixtures are processed in a much swifter timeframe to allow quick notification of availability to enable clubs to make alternative arrangements should their preferred venue not be available.
If you have booked a pitch and pavilion, we will not be charging for pavilions this year (18th August 2025 to 16th August 2026) where there are pitch charges in place to support groups with the change from session charges to hourly charges. The majority of the groups have already been invoiced so credit notes will be issued by the central team.
If there is an issue that occurs during the hire, please speak with the on-duty caretaker / janitor. For any other general issues, please contact the ECS Hire Team. However please note that the ECS Hire Team may refer this to local staff to resolve.
If it requires an emergency response, please contact 999. All incidents should be reported to the on-duty Janitor / Caretaker.
The booking is unavailable due to no staff available / already booked / date unavailable.
Make sure to state you plan to have inflatables on your application form. We will require a risk assessment from your group and the supplier of the bouncy castle. A copy of the public liability insurance from the supplier of the bouncy castle is also required. If the inflatable is indoors, floor protection will be required, and the hall height would need to be checked for height clearance.
A group or club having a social event bringing in their own alcohol – Bring Your Own Bottle is allowable as there is no sale or supply of alcohol and does not require a licence. The hirer is responsible for the behaviour of group members or guests at all times.
In some areas for example Fraserburgh and Peterhead there are alcohol byelaws in place so any event taking place in a public space – such as a public hall for example, would require an occasional licence in place to allow the consumption of alcohol within the terms of the byelaw. Therefore, bring your own bottle events would not be permitted in those towns.
A group providing a glass of wine within ticket price the price of “free” glasses of wine is taken to be included in the ticket price and therefore requires an occasional licence to be applied from Aberdeenshire Council licensing department.
A gala with tombola or raffle prizes which contain alcohol should not be given to anyone under the age of 18. Otherwise, there is no issue with this provided it is in a sealed container. No one under the age of 18 can participate in a raffle. The organisers of tombola stalls should be checking ages to ensure an alcohol-free alternative is offered to anyone under the age of 18.
An Occasional License can be obtained from Aberdeenshire Council's Licensing Department. Without the appropriate license in place your application for hiring facilities cannot be approved. Full information is available by emailing licensing@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
The ECS Hire Team do not provide the licences – hirers need to obtain licences directly from the relevant officer within Licensing, which can take a minimum of six weeks.
If your group has an approved hire for every week including these days, then yes. If your hire is for term time only, then no.
No. All Schools are closed unless alternative arrangements have been made.
Yes. Strike days are an employment matter which generally do not affect the opening of the establishment. You will be advised in advance should there be any change to this position.
If the hire is a one-off booking and you cancel giving 7 days’ notice, you will receive a refund.
If your hire is part of a block booking i.e. 10 weeks, no refunds will be given for any single sessions cancelled as part of the whole booking.
Two - we will not discuss bookings or invoices with anyone else except the two named contacts – the person who made the booking and the approved invoice contact.
(Please note additional charges will apply for any hires out with core hours below):
|
Establishment |
Core Hours |
|
Meldrum Academy |
08.00 – 22.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Meldrum Primary |
08.00 – 18.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Banff Primary |
08.00 – 18.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Portlethen Academy |
07.30 – 22.00 Monday – Friday 52 weeks per year excluding the time in between Christmas and the New Year. |
|
Rosehearty School |
08.00 – 18.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Kintore School |
08.00 – 22.00 Monday – Friday 52 weeks per year excluding the time in between Christmas and the New Year |
|
Hill of Banchory School |
08.00 – 18.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Longside School |
08.00 – 18.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Rothienorman School |
08.00 – 18.00 Monday – Friday |
|
Alford Community Campus |
Charges not applicable |
|
Inverurie Community Campus |
Charges not applicable |
The cost depends on a few things, such as rooms sizes. Also, if your group is not a business/not for profit and 75% or more of the members fall into any of these categories, then we could possibly offer a discount:
Please be aware that spot checks will be carried out randomly throughout the year.
Any price increases take place in April of each year and implemented in August of that same year. This reflects the annual inflationary uplift which is applied by Aberdeenshire Council in line with the HM Treasury forecast Retail Price Index.
To set up a Direct Debit please phone 01467 535953 to request a Direct Debit Mandate. Please ensure that you have your Account Number and Invoice Reference to hand before phoning.
Payment can be made online at https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/Payments/invoice Please enter your Account Number followed by your Invoice Number in the reference fields.
Payment can be made via our automated payment line on 0300 456 0634. Please ensure that you have your Account Number and Invoice Reference to hand before phoning.
Please take this invoice to your local Post Office or Paypoint location to make payment.
Sort Code: 82-60-11 Account Number: 70002089
Please quote your Customer Account Number and Invoice Reference on all payments.
Please email all BACS remittances to FiBankrec@aberdeenshire.gov.uk