Latest news with #Raac
Press and Journal
7 hours ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
David Knight: Council bosses need to act on Raac before Balnagask becomes broken-down ghetto of rebellion overlooking cruise ship harbour
There's a lot to be said for the personal touch – it can knock down walls and win people over with one small gesture. Unless the walls are made out of Raac (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete), it would seem. Someone famous once wrote how American bank tellers were trained to make customers feel as though they were old friends. I felt something similar when I met the King in Aberdeen when he was still Prince of Wales. A brief encounter of just a few minutes left a vivid lasting impression. It's just a knack which he has perfected over the years: as though you were special and the most important person in the room at that precise moment. Let's now take a look at the Raac people at Torry in Aberdeen, for example. Specifically, owners who bought their homes from the council or other private proprietors who had previously completed similar transactions with the authority. They now face ruin due to weaknesses in Raac 'concrete' used in construction years before (more Aero-looking than concrete, it's been said). Devastated to see Aberdeen City Council offering to 'rescue' their homes at slashed knockdown prices, at up to £50,000 less than they might have otherwise received The council much prefers to describe their offers as realistic 'current market value', but don't be silly – we know which is the more accurate description. An apparent lack of personal touch from council leaders amid such a personal crisis rankles with families, who plead to be compensated fairly. Official valuers come and go, cut-price offers made and that seems to be about it. This aloofness issue surfaced again when award-winning P&J journalist Lindsay Bruce grilled co-council leader Christian Allard about all things Raac. When asked pointedly about his lack of one-to-ones with those who were suffering he didn't really have a convincing answer. Actually he appeared to squirm like a seal out of water. Many a leader has come unstuck by not being around in person when disaster strikes a community. Now owners are digging in for a long battle. The authority cannot brick this up behind a fireplace and hope people abandon the fight or die off. A few days ago, community campaigners backed by the P&J met the council to offer compromises in search of a solution to cover their serious losses – incurred through no fault of their own. A difficult challenge as the council has appeared unwilling to budge so far. The event resonated with echoes of an infamous episode when Aberdeen bus-gate protesters took their own sensible compromises to the council in an attempt to protect city businesses from ruin – and had the door slammed in their faces, so to speak. Raac owners vow to stay-put in condemned houses until they get what they're owed as their once-vibrant community sadly goes to ruin around them. Do council bosses really want to see a broken-down ghetto of rebellion overlooking their shiny new cruise-ship harbour, with waves of affluent tourists passing by? Resembling surviving structures in a bombed-out wartime street; a monument to past follies? Call me simplistic or plain old-fashioned, but surely the buck goes back to the council in some form or other? After all, the properties carried serious hidden structural defects at the time they were offloaded to the public – irrespective of what was known then or now about Raac. It's now become depressingly normal for institutions to recompense victims today for yesterday's mistakes by past colleagues. And especially as warning bells were sounded by another Scottish council which condemned Raac houses nearly a quarter of a century ago. Is it fair to assume Aberdeen officials were aware of this and had assessed its impact on local owners? One Torry family member struck a chord with a particularly memorable quote. 'When they really want to do something they'll always find the money,' he said. Meaning governments and councils will always find the cash for any number of ideological projects to which suit their agenda. Or unless they happen to be a doctor, nurse, bin worker or train driver who wield enormous disproportionate power to win generous pay rises backed by dire threats to public health and safety. But not necessarily for the likes of Raac victims in Torry. If you're scraping a living in Torry you pose no threat and can be pushed around – no matter how unjust it is. Just like pensioners who discovered they were dispensable when Starmer and Reeves stole winter fuel payments from their back pockets. Do we now look to Swinney to unlock the door to housing cash or can Aberdeen Council be creative within its own housing budget? A roof is only a roof, but we feel the strain – and therefore the pain – of living beneath it when the world is about to cave in. David Knight is the long-serving former deputy editor of The Press and Journal To read more about the Raac crisis and our campaign click here. Trapped by Raac: 5000 reasons to keep fighting for Aberdeen homeowners impacted by concrete crisis
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Schools and hospitals ‘not over hurdle' of unsafe concrete, says minister
Catherine McKinnell also said ministers cannot 'fix everything overnight' when asked how much of the maintenance backlog could be eliminated or when schools would be free of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). The Government has announced that around £1.2 billion – part of funding packages announced in last year's autumn budget – will be spent on repairing crumbling schools and hospitals across the country. Asked about Raac, school standards minister Ms McKinnell told LBC: 'We're not over that hurdle yet, and we're not over it in the NHS either.' She added that 'we have identified all the Raac' and there are plans for buildings to be fixed or rebuilt, because 'the fact that they have Raac in them means that they're probably a substantial age as a building'. More than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges across England were forced to shut down days before the autumn term in 2023 amid concerns that classrooms and other buildings containing Raac were unsafe. Asked on BBC Breakfast on Friday whether she could provide a figure for how much of the £14 billion maintenance backlog would be completed or when schools would be rid of Raac, Ms McKinnell said: 'We are working very hard, but you can't just switch a switch and fix everything overnight.' According to the Government, pupils at 656 schools and sixth forms will benefit from a share of this year's £470 million Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), used for projects such as fixing crumbling roofs and removing asbestos. More than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites will be handed £750 million to tackle problems such as leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues. Projects to deliver improvements to schools and hospital buildings will be delivered during the 2025/26 financial year, with the first upgrades to begin this summer, the Government has said. A report by the National Audit Office in January estimated it would cost around £13.8 billion to address the repairs and remedial work backlog for hospitals and other NHS properties in England, and an additional £13.8 billion for the school estate.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Schools and hospitals ‘not over hurdle' of unsafe concrete, says minister
Schools and the NHS are 'not over that hurdle' of unsafe concrete, a minister has said. Catherine McKinnell also said ministers cannot 'fix everything overnight' when asked how much of the maintenance backlog could be eliminated or when schools would be free of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). The Government has announced that around £1.2 billion – part of funding packages announced in last year's autumn budget – will be spent on repairing crumbling schools and hospitals across the country. Asked about Raac, school standards minister Ms McKinnell told LBC: 'We're not over that hurdle yet, and we're not over it in the NHS either.' She added that 'we have identified all the Raac' and there are plans for buildings to be fixed or rebuilt, because 'the fact that they have Raac in them means that they're probably a substantial age as a building'. More than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges across England were forced to shut down days before the autumn term in 2023 amid concerns that classrooms and other buildings containing Raac were unsafe. Asked on BBC Breakfast on Friday whether she could provide a figure for how much of the £14 billion maintenance backlog would be completed or when schools would be rid of Raac, Ms McKinnell said: 'We are working very hard, but you can't just switch a switch and fix everything overnight.' According to the Government, pupils at 656 schools and sixth forms will benefit from a share of this year's £470 million Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), used for projects such as fixing crumbling roofs and removing asbestos. More than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites will be handed £750 million to tackle problems such as leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues. Projects to deliver improvements to schools and hospital buildings will be delivered during the 2025/26 financial year, with the first upgrades to begin this summer, the Government has said. A report by the National Audit Office in January estimated it would cost around £13.8 billion to address the repairs and remedial work backlog for hospitals and other NHS properties in England, and an additional £13.8 billion for the school estate.
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
Schools and hospitals ‘not over hurdle' of unsafe concrete, says minister
Catherine McKinnell also said ministers cannot 'fix everything overnight' when asked how much of the maintenance backlog could be eliminated or when schools would be free of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). The Government has announced that around £1.2 billion – part of funding packages announced in last year's autumn budget – will be spent on repairing crumbling schools and hospitals across the country. Asked about Raac, school standards minister Ms McKinnell told LBC: 'We're not over that hurdle yet, and we're not over it in the NHS either.' She added that 'we have identified all the Raac' and there are plans for buildings to be fixed or rebuilt, because 'the fact that they have Raac in them means that they're probably a substantial age as a building'. More than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges across England were forced to shut down days before the autumn term in 2023 amid concerns that classrooms and other buildings containing Raac were unsafe. Asked on BBC Breakfast on Friday whether she could provide a figure for how much of the £14 billion maintenance backlog would be completed or when schools would be rid of Raac, Ms McKinnell said: 'We are working very hard, but you can't just switch a switch and fix everything overnight.' According to the Government, pupils at 656 schools and sixth forms will benefit from a share of this year's £470 million Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), used for projects such as fixing crumbling roofs and removing asbestos. More than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites will be handed £750 million to tackle problems such as leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues. Projects to deliver improvements to schools and hospital buildings will be delivered during the 2025/26 financial year, with the first upgrades to begin this summer, the Government has said. A report by the National Audit Office in January estimated it would cost around £13.8 billion to address the repairs and remedial work backlog for hospitals and other NHS properties in England, and an additional £13.8 billion for the school estate.
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Schools and hospitals ‘not over hurdle' of unsafe concrete, says minister
Catherine McKinnell also said ministers cannot 'fix everything overnight' when asked how much of the maintenance backlog could be eliminated or when schools would be free of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). The Government has announced that around £1.2 billion – part of funding packages announced in last year's autumn budget – will be spent on repairing crumbling schools and hospitals across the country. Asked about Raac, school standards minister Ms McKinnell told LBC: 'We're not over that hurdle yet, and we're not over it in the NHS either.' She added that 'we have identified all the Raac' and there are plans for buildings to be fixed or rebuilt, because 'the fact that they have Raac in them means that they're probably a substantial age as a building'. More than 100 schools, nurseries and colleges across England were forced to shut down days before the autumn term in 2023 amid concerns that classrooms and other buildings containing Raac were unsafe. Asked on BBC Breakfast on Friday whether she could provide a figure for how much of the £14 billion maintenance backlog would be completed or when schools would be rid of Raac, Ms McKinnell said: 'We are working very hard, but you can't just switch a switch and fix everything overnight.' According to the Government, pupils at 656 schools and sixth forms will benefit from a share of this year's £470 million Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), used for projects such as fixing crumbling roofs and removing asbestos. More than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites will be handed £750 million to tackle problems such as leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues. Projects to deliver improvements to schools and hospital buildings will be delivered during the 2025/26 financial year, with the first upgrades to begin this summer, the Government has said. A report by the National Audit Office in January estimated it would cost around £13.8 billion to address the repairs and remedial work backlog for hospitals and other NHS properties in England, and an additional £13.8 billion for the school estate.
