Angus Council political coup delays crunch Monifieth Raac meeting
A secret meeting to consider the future of Raac-hit houses in Monifieth has been put on hold after an Angus Council political coup.
On Tuesday, opposition councillors seized control of the authority after winning a no confidence vote against the SNP administration.
It will see a new Conservative/Independent/Labour coalition take over the reins of the authority.
But it means a housing committee meeting which was set to discuss an options report on council homes in Monifieth's Milton Street will now be put on hold.
The new administration has agreed Kirriemuir councillor George Meechan will be council leader. Arbroath member Derek Wann is to be deputy leader.
However, other senior councillor posts such as convenerships, will be set at a special meeting of the full council.
It is yet to be set, so all of the council's scheduled committee meetings have been suspended.
Those include this Thursday's housing committee.
Monifieth SNP councillor Beth Whiteside raised the Raac issue during Tuesday's showdown meeting which ended her party's grip on Angus control.
'I think the residents of the affected properties might be really disappointed that this could be the result of this meeting,' she said.
More than 20 tenants are living under the shadow of the potentially dangerous material.
In 2024, the council inspected its entire stock of 7,700 council houses.
Only the Milton Street properties were found to contain Raac.
It led to one tenant being moved out.
However, the council said another 24 council homes were 'not of concern' at that time. Engineers are regularly monitoring their condition.
In addition, almost 50 private homeowners were written to, urging them to seek expert advice over the possibility of Raac in their property.
The secrecy surrounding Milton Street contrasts with options around Storm Babet-hit homes in Brechin.
Around 60 council houses still lie empty in the worst affected area of River Street since the October 2023 disaster.
Public consultation sessions on the future of the wrecked homes have already taken place.
Those followed the publication of expert reports on options which include a £17m price tag to rebuild the properties.
Earlier this month, the council warned no definite decision on the recovery plan will be taken when a follow-up report is presented to councillors in May.
Angus Council was asked why the Brechin report was considered in public while the Monifieth paper is to be taken in private.
It said the paper was exempt from publication under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
It includes 'information relating to any particular occupier or former occupier of…accommodation provided by or at the expense of the authority.'
Milton Street resident Williamina Rylance said this week she is 'scunnered' by the situation.
'We got a letter to say they have a meeting where everything will be discussed, but they didn't tell us what they would discussing,' said Wilma.
Raac was commonly used in the construction industry between the 1950s and 1990s.
However, concerns over its limited lifespan have prompted fears of structural collapses in extreme cases if water gets through cracks.
The Courier has launched our Trapped by Raac campaign to help those affected by the burgeoning crisis and have the issue debated by government.
We're asking readers to sign this petition to give them a voice and get the issue to parliament.
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