Latest news with #ReinforcedAutoclavedAeratedConcrete
Edinburgh Reporter
5 days ago
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Council advised of significant RAAC costs in low-rise block in Leith
The council has been warned that it faces potentially serious costs for new repairs to a low-rise block in Leith. There are questions over the reason for delays in the council acting on reports of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in a Leith low-rise block. The City of Edinburgh Council carried out a survey of RAAC in buildings where it owns homes in 2024 – but officers say a report of the compound in the roof of a block with council flats was missed. According to a report set to be considered by Edinburgh councillors next Tuesday, the city failed to follow up with a homeowner who raised the issue – meaning the block's roof was never investigated. The report details how a homeowner made the report last year, and followed up in May 2025 after the city offered to buy 17 flats in buildings with council tenants to make costly repairs. The council is now reinvestigating the presence of RAAC across the entirety of the council's housing stock, including all flat blocks with flat roofs. RAAC is believed to be present in at least two blocks in Leith, and council officers think it could be present in six other blocks. According to the report, the council may face a 'significant financial impact' alongside owners of flats in RAAC-affected buildings, and that costs of fixing it are unbudgeted. Additionally, it says that the council will be unable to cost any repairs until the two investigation efforts are completed. Officers will investigate blocks built by the same architect as the two affected blocks in Leith to check if they have the compound. In addition to those checks, officers will also look at data for all low-rise council blocks in the city in order to exclude buildings from checks where the presence of RAAC is impossible. This includes buildings constructed before RAAC was used in the UK construction industry. Officers say the timeline for this analysis will be subject to 'the scope and investigation and extent of the findings.' Green councillor Alys Mumford said she is concerned about the lack of follow-up, and said Green councillors will be asking questions of officers at the meeting. Cllr Mumford said: 'We're pleased that Council officers are taking this seriously, and would like to thank the homeowner for continuing to raise the issue so that we can make sure all council tenants are protected from any potential RAAC issues. 'This is not the first time we have heard of residents' significant concerns not being acted upon, and so of course at the Committee meeting we will be asking questions about the delay in responding when this was first raised, and if any changes need to be implemented in Council processes to ensure that this doesn't happen again. 'While we're hopeful that the re-investigation won't turn up any further instances of RACC, we think it is absolutely right to be doing a second, thorough, process to protect our residents.' The report also said repair costs in each of the two affected flat blocks in Leith will be subject to discussions between homeowners in each of them. RAAC was a building material often used in the construction of publicly-owned buildings in the UK up to the 1990s. It was popular for its low cost, low weight and fire resistance, but it can fail if it comes into contact with water for extended periods of time. Several council primary and secondary schools are affected by RAAC, as well as the Blackhall Library, which closed temporarily until fixes could be implemented last year. After last year's survey, council officers found that 72 current and former council flats in the city used a certain type of RAAC roof panels, with the council still owning 44. Of the five affected buildings discovered, three were terraced rows of six houses, and two were low-rise apartment blocks. During the works, both council and private residents of the buildings will need to be temporarily moved out. Councillors will consider the report at the next meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on Tuesday, August 12, which you can view here. by Joe Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Edinburgh City Chambers. © 2025 Martin McAdam Like this: Like Related
STV News
05-07-2025
- General
- STV News
Consultation launched on plans to reduce staffing levels at fire station
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is running a public consultation, which could lead to reduced staffing levels at Cumbernauld Fire Station. Currently the station has two fire engines which are continually crewed, but the consultation on SFRS website, which is open until September, contains two options for Lanarkshire both of which propose the same outcome for Cumbernauld. This would involve the second appliance instead being crewed by firefighters during the day shift hours of 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, but switching to an on-call basis outside of those times. Operation of the first appliance would remain unaltered. This is just a small part of the overall review, which carries 23 options for almost half of the council areas in Scotland, including proposals to close eight rural stations which have been dormant for a long time with five others earmarked for potential closure. Information provided by SFRS states that although the latest Scottish Government budget increased capital funding to £47 million, it would cost more than £800m to bring all 356 fire stations up to standard. Some stations have sub-par accommodation and facilities while others, like many public buildings, are deteriorating due to the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their construction. A public meeting has been organised in Cumbernauld, to be held in Greenfaulds Community Facility from 6-8pm on Wednesday, August 6, where a senior officer will outline the proposals and the reasons for change. To book a place email The consultation can also be contributed to via the SFRS website. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Wales Online
28-06-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Concern raised for RAAC affected homeowners who don't qualify for grant funding
Concern raised for RAAC affected homeowners who don't qualify for grant funding Councillor Karen Morgan raised the issue at a recent meeting of Rhondda Cynon Taf full council (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) Concern has been raised for home-owners in the Valleys who are facing financial hardship or losing their homes because of the discovery of RAAC and who don't qualify for grant funding. A question at Rhondda Cynon Taf full council on Wednesday, June 25, from Hirwaun, Penderyn and Rhigos councillor Karen Morgan of Plaid Cymru said that the council has publicly stated that it is supporting the private home-owners who face financial hardship or losing their homes because of the discovery of RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) in their properties by assisting them with access to grant funding. But her question said: 'In reality the restrictive criteria means that only two home-owners in Hirwaun are eligible to apply for this support and private landlords are completely excluded from the available schemes. 'Given the devastating impact and urgency of the situation what effective support will this council give to these residents who feel they have been dismissed and abandoned by all?' Councillor Bob Harris, cabinet member for public health and communities, said works required to remove RAAC and replace it with a permanent solution at privately owned properties are ultimately the responsibility of the home-owners. To get all the latest money news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here. But he said the council has informed the home-owners that it can help contribute towards the costs of remedial works. Article continues below Cllr Harris said that owners who have met grant eligibility criteria have been offered a £6,500 grant along with an interest free loan using Welsh Government funding to cover the remaining costs of the work. He also said that the council's housing grants department offer several loan options that provide financial assistance to residents and home-owners within RCT to ensure their home is safe to live in which includes the owner occupier home improvement loan and the property appreciation loan. Homeowners facing bills of £23,000 to deal with RAAC join call for national emergency fund He also mentioned the dedicated support worker as a point of contact for advice and assistance as well as support for private landlords and contract occupiers from public health officers in respect of the works required for each property. The housing standards team has also served legal notices on landlords to engage structural engineers to inspect their premises and once reports were received Housing Act prohibition orders were served and one family was rehoused as a priority. Cllr Morgan said many of the residents are pensioners in their 70s, 80s and older and she also said that both Welsh Government and RCT Council seem to be 'passing the buck' on this issue. She asked if the cabinet member would contact the Welsh Government to urge them to provide support as they did many years ago to private home-owners with the issue of previous council homes of non standard construction and asbestos. She said: 'It's been done before. Can we put pressure on Welsh Government to help with funding again please?' Cllr Harris said he was happy to take the point up with Welsh Government and get back to Cllr Morgan with a proper answer. Article continues below
Daily Record
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
West Lothian RAAC campaigner walks out of Holyrood meeting in disgust
The National UK RAAC campaign had asked for the Scottish Housing Regulator to expand powers to include owners of former council homes. A campaigner fighting to get more help for home-owners hit by the RAAC scandal walked out of the Scottish Parliament in disgust after MSPs rejected their petition. The National UK RAAC campaign had asked for the Scottish Housing Regulator to expand powers to include owners of former council homes. But a meeting of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee 'refused to budge' according to veteran campaigner Livingston RAAC campaigner Kerry Macintosh. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that when the call to change rules was declined: 'I was so angry when I came out of the committee room. It was very hard not to say anything. I stood up and said 'shocking' and walked out.' Speaking after the meeting she told the LDRS: 'The people in parliament, the SNP government. They don't give a toss. They are not listening to what people are going through. They are overlooking things that are affecting peoples lives. 'This is as bad as the Post Office scandal. I'm just so annoyed at watching how homeowners are getting treated. 'The people in parliament are not living with what the people with RAAC in their homes are living with- the stress, the fear and the worry. There's five and half thousand people in Scotland suffering with this.' RAAC affected homeowners from across Scotland had gathered outside Holyrood on Wednesday morning ahead of scheduled hearing of a petition submitted by the UK RAAC Campaign group calling for an urgent amendment to the remit of the Scottish Housing Regulator to include private owners of ex-council properties. Currently, the SHR's responsibilities are restricted to social tenants-those who rent from councils or housing associations. This means that when a private homeowner in an ex-council house discovers dangerous materials like RAAC, they have no regulator to turn to, no statutory advocate, and no co-ordinated government response. The petition called for an alternative creation of an altogether new body to ensure that owners of ex-council homes are protected during structural crises such as the one currently unfolding because of the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete RAAC in the 1960s/ 70s. Campaign leader Wilson Chowdhry has written to the new Housing Minister Mairi McAllan asking her to meet with home owners in Tillicoultry and West Lothian.
Edinburgh Reporter
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Campaigner walks out of Holyrood in disgust as petition rebuffed
A campaigner fighting to get more help for home-owners hit by the RAAC scandal walked out of the Scottish Parliament in disgust this afternoon [Wednesday] after MSPs rejected their petition. The National UK RAAC campaign had asked for the Scottish Housing Regulator to expand powers to include owners of former council homes. But a meeting of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee 'refused to budge' according to veteran campaigner Livingston RAAC campaigner Kerry Macintosh. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that when the call to change rules was declined: 'I was so angry when I came out of the committee room. It was very hard not to say anything. I stood up and said 'shocking' and walked out.' Speaking after the meeting she told the LDRS: 'The people in parliament, the SNP government. They don't give a toss. They are not listening to what people are going through. They are overlooking things that are affecting people's lives. 'This is as bad as the Post Office scandal. I'm just so annoyed at watching how homeowners are getting treated. The people in parliament are not living with what the people with RAAC in their homes are living with- the stress, the fear and the worry. There's five and half thousand people in Scotland suffering with this.' RAAC affected homeowners from across Scotland had gathered outside Holyrood on Wednesday morning ahead of scheduled hearing of a petition submitted by the UK RAAC Campaign group calling for an urgent amendment to the remit of the Scottish Housing Regulator to include private owners of ex-council properties. Currently, the SHR's responsibilities are restricted to social tenants—those who rent from councils or housing associations. This means that when a private homeowner in an ex-council house discovers dangerous materials like RAAC, they have no regulator to turn to, no statutory advocate, and no co-ordinated government response. The petition called for an alternative creation of an altogether new body to ensure that owners of ex-council homes are protected during structural crises such as the one currently unfolding because of the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete RAAC in the 1960s/ 70s. Campaign leader Wilson Chowdhry has written to the new Housing Minister Mairi McAllan asking her to meet with homeowners in Tillicoultry and West Lothian. By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
