Clackmannanshire Council has agreed to hold a meeting with Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, to address the pressing concerns of Tillicoultry residents affected by the recent RAAC-related evacuations (click here) and (here) and (here)(here). The meeting will take place on Friday, June 7th, from 2-3 pm.
Wilson Chowdhry will be discussing a range of critical issues, including:
- Voluntary Purchase and Evaluation: Residents seek confirmation on the council's voluntary purchase offer and the desktop evaluation of property values prior to the October evacuations.
- Compensation for Expenses: Clarification on whether the council will cover expenses such as temporary accommodation rents, mortgage payments for empty properties, and utility costs.
- Recompense for Renovations: Whether homeowners will receive compensation for significant home renovations made prior to the evacuations.
- Lack of Written Records: Concerns over the absence of documented details from two public meetings, highlighting a need for transparency.
- Access to Properties: Residents demand clarity on accessing their properties to retrieve personal belongings and compensation for any losses incurred.
- Lack of Pre-Advisory: Issues regarding the council's failure to inform homeowners about RAAC and the need for regular inspections before property purchases.
- Neglect of Property Maintenance: Queries about why the council neglected property maintenance, allowing buildings to deteriorate into hazardous conditions.
- Plans for New Development: Requests for confirmation on whether there were pre-existing plans for new developments on the affected land.
- Awareness of Short Lifespan: Questions about the council's awareness of RAAC's limited lifespan and the sale of these properties under the Right-to-Buy scheme.
- Excessive Costings: Transparency on the high-cost estimate for roof replacement provided during a public meeting on November 15, 2013.
- Insensitivity and Lack of Communication: Addressing the council's insensitive actions and lack of communication with homeowners.
Additionally, residents have faced significant challenges in communicating with the council, including ignored information requests, unanswered FOI requests, and heavily redacted information.
Residents of Tillicoultry have endured extreme emotional distress since the evacuations began, with many suffering from serious mental health issues. The community urgently seeks clear answers and immediate action from the council to address these concerns.
Mr. Chowdhry stated, "Homeowners in Tillicoultry have endured an intense and distressing two-hour evacuation, leaving them in extreme emotional turmoil. Despite this, they have received no mental health support. Clackmannanshire Council has exacerbated the situation with what appears to be a shady and underhanded avoidance of written responses. This is not how local authorities should operate, and the beleaguered community of Tillicoultry reached out to the UK RAAC Campaign Group for support.
This meeting is a small step forward, but I will insist that minutes are provided; otherwise, I will not participate. The council cannot continue its clandestine behavior at the expense of the residents' sanity. I am deeply offended that the council initially told me there was no means for public representation at council meetings (click here for Alloa Advertiser article). This flies in the face of expected protocol and limits democratic process.
Worse still, only through persistence did I discover the existence of a petition process, which was shared only after several further requests. This suggests it may have been doctored, as it now includes numerous caveats and exclusions, making it difficult to progress my complaint except through less public meetings and smaller groups like this one. The RAAC crisis has left dozens homeless and facing financial ruin and they deserve a more holistic approach to finding a solution with all councillors involved."
The meeting will include key council representatives:
- Murray Sharp, Senior Manager (Housing)
- Andrew Buchanan, Housing Operations Manager
- Wilson Lees, Homelessness and Supporting People Manager
- Pearl McMenemy, Housing Business Support Officer
This meeting represents a crucial step towards resolving the numerous issues faced by Tillicoultry residents and ensuring their voices are heard.
Contact:
Wilson Chowdhry
Chairman, UK RAAC Campaign Group
Email: wilson@aasecurity.co.uk
End of Press Release
A copy of the letter submitted can be viewed below:
Dear Mr Andy
Buchanan, Housing Operations Matter/ Administration's Spokesperson Councillor
Jane McTaggart/ Lee Robertson Senior Manager Legal & Governance and
Monitoring Officer,
I am writing to you on behalf of the residents of
Tillicoultry, who have been deeply affected by the recent evacuations due to
the dangerous RAAC in our roofs. The situation has left them with many
unanswered questions and significant concerns about their homes, financial
stability, and overall well-being. We seek your urgent attention and clear
communication to address the following pressing issues:
1.
Voluntary Purchase and
Evaluation: Wilson Lee has informed Grant Kerr
that the council intends to offer a voluntary purchase of properties and that a
desktop evaluation will assess the value of homes from before the October
evacuations. We request this information in writing to understand the terms and
process involved.
2.
Compensation for
Expenses: Will the council compensate
homeowners for any expenses incurred, including temporary accommodation rents,
mortgage payments for empty properties, and utility costs where the council
failed to act responsibly by switching off these utilities?
3.
Recompense for
Renovations: Will homeowners be offered any
recompense for the significant investments made in home renovations? Many have
poured their life savings into these properties, only to face displacement due
to RAAC concerns.
4.
Lack of Written Records: We are deeply concerned that the council has not documented the
details of the two public meetings held, which is a blatant lack of
transparency.
5.
Access to Properties: Homeowners were abruptly evacuated with minimal notice, and access
to their properties for retrieving personal belongings, some of which are very
sentimental, has been severely restricted. We demand clarity on when and how
homeowners will be able to access their properties and retrieve their
belongings, along with appropriate compensation for any losses incurred.
6.
Lack of Pre-Advisory: Homeowners were left uninformed about the presence of RAAC in
their properties before purchase, and the need for regular inspections was not
communicated. This negligence is unacceptable and has put residents at risk.
7.
Neglect of Property
Maintenance: Why were these properties
neglected while under the council's management as property factors, especially
considering their construction with RAAC and other substandard materials?
Despite reports of issues like water ingress causing significant damage, the
council failed to respond adequately, allowing buildings to deteriorate into
hazardous conditions. Contradictorily, a report by Harley Haddow asserts that
RAAC panels have been in place for over 50 years without recorded failures,
raising questions about the accuracy and reliability of assessments.
8.
Plans for New Development: Was there always a predetermined agenda to construct new homes on
this land, thereby neglecting the maintenance of existing buildings? We have
received information indicating the existence of plans for a larger, more
ambitious development on the site. Can you confirm the veracity of these plans?
We demand a clear record stating that there were no prior intentions to rebuild
over the remnants of our homes. It must be explicitly stated that the
aesthetics of our properties and potential financial gains did not influence
the decision to demolish.
9.
Awareness of Short
Lifespan: Was the council aware of the limited
lifespan of RAAC before selling properties to unsuspecting homeowners under the
Right-to-Buy scheme? If so, why were these properties still sold? Was this a
deliberate attempt to shift liability onto unaware buyers, under the guise of
promoting equitable housing? It appears that homeowners were misled into
believing that their purchases would result in lifetime investments and the
creation of legacies for their descendants. Do you acknowledge that the
Right-to-Buy scheme has ultimately failed, leaving homeowners vulnerable to
unforeseen risks and financial burdens?
10. Excessive Costings: Residents were
shocked by the excessively high-cost estimate for roof replacement provided
during a public meeting organized by the council on 15th November
2013. We demand transparency on how these figures were calculated and whether
alternative assessments were sought.
- Insensitivity
and Lack of Communication: The council's
actions have been very insensitive. We understand that these properties
were evacuated on safety grounds, but until homeowners are compensated or their
properties are repaired and returned to them, the buildings still belong to
them. They should have been contacted before any shutters or boards were
placed onto their properties and windows removed. It feels as though the
council is acting without regard for the hurt and anguish, they are
causing to homeowners.
Communication with the council has been difficult, especially for one local
resident, who has experienced the following issues:
- Requests
for information are often ignored.
- Follow-up
requests are disputed as constituting a request for information.
- FOI
requests go unanswered.
- Review
FOI requests are also ignored.
- Reports
to the Scottish Information Commissioner result in adjudications that the
council must supply information.
- The
council eventually supplies incomplete and heavily redacted information.
- Further
reports to the Scottish Information Commissioner are required to
adjudicate on the redactions.
Homeowners have all gone through extreme emotional distress since this
process began. Why has no help been forthcoming for those suffering from
serious mental health issues? Instead of offering hope, the council continues
to stonewall them. Will there be any
compensation for the emotional stress that people have been put through.
We urgently require clear answers and immediate action to address these
concerns.
Sincerely,
Wilson Chowdhry
Chairman, UK RAAC Campaign Group
On behalf of the residents of Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire
Additionally signed by: [Names and Addresses of additional signatories have been redacted]
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