EXCLUSIVE: Aberdeen council's 'urgent' Raac plea was left unanswered for weeks by Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan

Press and Journal

7 hours ago

A desperate plea on behalf of Raac-affected Torry families to the SNP's housing secretary went unanswered for almost six weeks, the Press and Journal can exclusively reveal.
Through information obtained by Freedom of Information requests as part of our , we discovered that a letter sent from Aberdeen City Council to the newly appointed cabinet secretary on June 17 describes the Granite City's housing situation as a crisis.
The correspondence occurred just days after the First Minister named Màiri McAllan as the replacement for previous housing minister, Paul McLennan.
Here's the situation as we understand it.
A letter, sent by email from SNP councillor Miranda Radley on June 17, requests an urgent meeting with Ms McAllan in Balnagask.
Ms Radley said she wanted the opportunity so the Scottish Government could outline the support it can offer to the local authority, its tenants and private homeowners.
She said many, 'through no fault of their own, find themselves in unsafe conditions.'
Ms Radley, convener of the communities, housing and public protection committee, also noted the tenuous position the city council is in regarding its buyback scheme.
She said only 10% of the 138 privately owned properties have been sold back to the council, conceding that 'there are signs that they are unlikely to commit to any option they [the homeowners] have to financially contribute towards.'
A day after Aberdeen's urgent call for Scottish Government support, Ms McAllan spoke on the Holyrood floor.
She responded to North-east Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, who called for an unused and all but inaccessible pot of £20m Scottish Government housing cash to be made available to help victims of Raac.
Aberdeen City Council also requested that the Scottish Government consider reclassifying this Housing Infrastructure Fund cash, after numerous applications by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils failed to access the money for other housing bids.
'For the government's part,' she added, 'my officials have received and are considering Aberdeen City Council's request for the Housing Infrastructure Fund to be repurposed to allow the local authority to support Raac efforts.
'I am getting advice on that currently and ministers will make a decision on that proposal in due course.'
At the time, her response offered a lifeline of hope to Raac homeowners in Aberdeen facing financial ruin, especially when she added she would be 'glad to meet' with Torry residents.
That same day, June 18, Ms McAllan penned a letter to Angela Rayner, UK Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing.
In that letter, she asked the UK Government to take the lead on putting in place financial arrangements, on a cross-UK basis, to support programmes of remediation.
Ms McAllan said she 'stands ready' to work with the UK Government on such a scheme and would be grateful if she could meet with Ms Rayner in 'early course'.
More than a month on, we wondered what progress has been made regarding Raac, and the reclassification of the £20m Housing Infrastructure Fund.
We sent an email on the morning of July 22 asking Ms McAllan if a decision had yet been made on the £20m, and if and when she will visit Balnagask.
That evening, we received the following response.
She said: 'I recognise the difficulty and stress being experienced by those affected by RAAC and that is why I am committed to engaging with the UK Government, local authorities and campaign groups to progress solutions.'
Adding that she's recently met with Dundee Council and had offered a date to meet with Dundee families next month, she said she'd do the same for those in Aberdeen.
Ms McAllan continued: 'The Scottish Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to make available a dedicated RAAC remediation fund, but they have failed to do so. I made this call in my letter to the deputy prime minister in June. I am deeply disappointed in her response.'
Her response to The Press and Journal also included that she 'expects all social landlords to be engaging with their tenants and developing plans to remediate RAAC in their homes. The Scottish Government remains closely engaged in this work.'
With no mention of the £20m in the cabinet secretary's response, we were keen to find out the specific progress of the fund's reclassification – or indeed why there seems to have been a hold up. We asked for clarification.
We were informed that the complexity of the situation required additional information which Aberdeen City Council has been asked to send to the cabinet secretary. This information is yet to be received by the Scottish Government.
However, for clarity, we checked when the Scottish Government asked Aberdeen City Council for this additional information.
A request was sent from the Scottish Government on July 22, around two hours after The Press and Journal requested a progress update on the fund reclassification.
The Torry Community Raac Campaign group said they aren't surprised by the lack of urgency towards Aberdeen's Raac-affected families.
A spokesperson said: 'We're deeply disappointed by the lack of urgency in the cabinet secretary coming to meet with us, but unfortunately, not surprised.
'Her comments in Holyrood last month gave Balnagask residents a glimmer of hope after months of being ignored.
'Her predecessor at least came to see the situation firsthand but ultimately did nothing. The same playbook is being followed: delay, deflect, and deny responsibility.
'Why the endless procrastination? Why ask Aberdeen City Council for more information only after media pressure? It feels like yet another cynical attempt by the minister to kick the can down the road while lives remain in limbo.
'We are tired of warm words in parliament and cold inaction in practice. The time for talking is over. We need a housing secretary willing to act — and act now.'
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government is exploring how it might support Aberdeen City Council and we are continuing to respond to a variety of questions from civil servants as and when they arise.'
Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, told us she had also recently corresponded with her SNP colleague, the cabinet secretary, on RAAC.
Adding, 'like others, I am keen that this issue can be resolved in as timely a manner as possible.'
North-east Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said he was previously 'heartened' when Ms McAllan offered 'a ray of hope for the people of Balnagask' regarding the promise to look at the reclassification of funds.
He added: 'But this isn't some tissue-thin commitment which can be forgotten about, until the media ask. It is a government minister's word, on the official record of the Scottish Parliament, in black and white.
'At the beginning of the parliamentary term, I will request a statement from Ms McAllan, outlining what she has actually done for Torry RAAC victims.'
Since publication, we were made aware that on July 28th, an hour before we published our original article on The Press and Journal website, a reply to Ms Radley's email was sent by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Ms McAllan.
The response, almost six weeks on from Aberdeen's urgent Raac plea on June 17, offers some hope to Balnagask's Raac homeowners in that she said the request to 'repurpose monies' is under 'urgent consideration.'
However, there was no response to Ms Radley's invitation to visit Aberdeen's Raac residents as a matter of urgency.
Full letter here: