Issue - meetings

Deputations heard from Lindsay Bruce, Paula Fraser, Wilson Chowdhry and Raymonda Davidson and will be recorded in the minute.

The Committee received four deputation requests in relation to item 11.3 on the agenda (Viability Assessment of Proposals from Owners of Properties with RAAC).

The first deputation request was from Lindsay Bruce, Press and Journal and Evening Express reporter, who was heading up a Trapped by RAAC campaign.

Ms Bruce advised that she aimed to highlight how this situation was impacting the lives of fellow Aberdonians, neighbours, their children, the electorate, and expressed how home owners affected by RAAC needed Members to act on their behalf as though their lives depended on it.  Ms Bruce indicated that others here today offering deputations would also point Members to ways in which the administration could help homeowners, whilst still offering best value.

Ms Bruce stated that for the wider Aberdeen public, she would like to implore Members from the outset to come with an openness to hear the words of those at the core of the situation.  Ms Bruce highlighted there had never been another situation like this in Aberdeen, and it was an extraordinary crisis that required extraordinary solutions, and there were no previous paths to follow.  

Ms Bruce explained that this was Members’ opportunity to act with creativity and compassion to find ways to best serve the people of Aberdeen and in doing so, pave the way for other local authorities.  Ms Bruce intimated that she stood with those impacted by RAAC and noted that the people of Torry had become very important to her and their stories had become ingrained deeply.

Ms Bruce explained how she had been impacted from hearing stories from multiple families and homeowners.  Stories of good hard working people about to lose their homes and the lives they strived and saved for, stories of a tight knit community about to be ripped apart.  These stories were of people not precedent, people not policies, people not politics, and it was with this that they launched their campaign.

Ms Bruce intimated that good local journalism had always sought to dig deeper to robustly cover issues of public interest and to call power to account on the ground.  She noted that they heard stories first hand and they saw the impact of what was happening in the city, and when an extraordinary event such as the RAAC crisis happened, they had the incredible privilege and platform to give voice to those experiencing injustice.

Ms Bruce indicated that she had met and covered stories of families in Balnagask and had interviewed at least 65 individuals.  She had spoken with individuals who could no longer dream of starting a family, due to the financial and mental load, pensioners who were worrying that they could no longer enjoy their retirement, and also individuals who could no longer retire at all. 

Ms Bruce asked Members to be mindful not only of the health and safety impact of this crisis but of the greater impact the financial effect this would have on homeowners without exception, through no fault of their own.  Ms Bruce  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1

Two deputations were heard in regards to item 11.1 on the agenda (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) - Phasing of Demolition and Landscaping)

The Committee received two deputation requests in relation to item 11.1 on the agenda (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) - Phasing of Demolition and Landscaping). 

The first deputation request was from Mr John Meiklejohn, who represented the Torry Community RAAC Campaign Group.  Mr Meiklejohn explained that he would like the Council to reverse the opinion that planning permission did not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before demolition of the properties and asked that this be re-evaluated and also asked that there be involvement of an established environment agency such as SEPA.  Mr Meiklejohn felt that by not having an EIA, it would then skip a major part of the planning process for this development.  Mr Meiklejohn highlighted that the proposal was to demolish 372 buildings and that would have an impact on the environment.

Mr Meiklejohn also highlighted that he wished to thank the Council for agreeing to explore alternatives to support homeowners and he felt this was a big step forward and felt that it was leeway to get both sides out of the messy situation.  He also indicated that he did appreciate the Council’s record of trying to balance professionalism with empathy however he felt that section 7 of the report (legal implications) undermined that.  He felt that it was a blatant threat and an attempt to intimidate people into accepting the voluntary acquisition process and also an attempt to remove the need for the CPO? process by simply threatening to evict homeowners from their properties. 

Mr Meiklejohn highlighted he felt there was conflicting information on whether RAAC was defective and he felt there was a strong parallel with the cladding scandal in terms of the information that had not been provided.  He felt that this would be made clear through a statutory public enquiry.  He advised that he felt the only way to get a fair, true and transparent process to determine not only the responsibilities but the root cause of this scandal and get it properly resolved in a fair and equitable manner, was to have a public enquiry. 

Mr Meiklejohn advised that they had specialists in the area of structural engineering and structural architects who all stated that homeowners had been put in a position of facing huge bills, financial difficulties and possibly homelessness through no fault of their own.

Mr Meiklejohn spoke about the health impact the situation was having on privately owned residents who were affected by RAAC and asked that private owners be awarded a fair settlement.  Mr Meiklejohn indicated that owners did not want to go through a long legal battle and sought a fair resolution.  He advised that he would not accept the valuation that had been offered from the Council.

Members then had the opportunity to ask Mr Meiklejohn questions on his deputation.

The Committee then received a deputation from Mr Wilson Chowdhry.  Mr Chowdhry began his deputation by asking if the Council believed that due diligence had been adequately undertaken in regards to the RAAC home owners’  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to note that two deputation requests had been received in relation to item 7.1 on the agenda – Notice of Motion by Councillor Graham; and

(ii)            to agree to suspend Standing Order 14.5.7 in order to hear the deputations. 

The Committee received two deputations from Mr Ryan Smith (pseudonym) and Gordon MacRae in relation to the Notice of Motion from Councillor Graham.

Mr Smith explained that he wanted to share his experience of living in temporary accommodation and the effects it had on him, noting that he was in temporary accommodation in a hotel next to a nightclub, for three months. 

Mr Smith advised that during his time in the temporary accommodation he felt he lost himself and endured negative mental health.  He stated that a housing emergency should be declared, due to the shortage of Council properties available.

The Committee then asked a number of questions of Mr Smith.

The Committee then heard from Gordon MacRae - Assistant Director for Communications and Advocacy, Shelter Scotland.  Mr MacRae thanked members for accepting their requests to speak and noted that it was positive to see consensus amongst the political parties that a housing emergency should be declared. 

Mr MacRae advised that with rent controls and planning applications, there needed to be change, noting they had seen a 64% increase in homeless applications and highlighted that child poverty could not be tackled without ending temporary accommodation. 

Mr MacRae explained that he recognised the context in which officers were working but noted that the homelessness service did not have the capacity to the meet the needs of individuals and felt that poverty was causing homelessness and was red in regards to the traffic light system.

Mr MacRae highlighted that the Scottish Government had declared a housing emergency and had a proposed action place.  He stated that third sector organisations were supportive of declaring an emergency and encouraged the Council to also declare an emergency. 

Mr Mac Rae intimated that a basic human right of having a home should not be a privilege and stated that all parties were required to come together to work collaboratively in order to eradicate homelessness.

Mr MacRae asked for two things within his deputation.  Firstly he asked that all elected members get behind the Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Graham and secondly he asked that everyone commit to a long term solution for homelessness. 

The Committee then asked a number of questions of Mr MacRae. 

The Committee resolved:-

to note the information provided during the deputations and to thank Mr Smith and Mr MacRae for the information they presented.

1.      Muhammad Azizul Islam – item 11.2 – Anti-Modern Slavery

2.    Hannah Chowdhry – item 11.5 – RAAC

3.    Paula Fraser – item 11.5 – RAAC

Three deputations were heard and these will be recorded in the minute. 

The Committee received a deputation request from Professor Muhammad Azizul Islam and he addressed the Committee in the following terms:-

Professor Islam explained that he was a Professor in Sustainability Accounting and Transparency at Aberdeen University and they were carrying out three research papers.  Research paper one was a critical analysis of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015, research paper two was looking at vulnerability and exploitation of (women) workers in Bangladeshi garment factories supplying goods to the UK Market and the third paper was on unfair purchasing practices by retailers for the UK market; inherent reasons for the exploitation of workers.

Professor Islam expanded on the research papers and provided more detail on the aims and also explained the implications and recommendations for local councils.  He advised that their findings were relevant to organisations including local councils with supply chain operations and noted that local councils had the following areas that needed attention to tackle modern slavery.

·       Procurements – computers and garments for council staff, catering, industrial materials etc.  If the council used suppliers that procure products from overseas, to ensure that there was no forced labour and exploitations during production/supply chains;

·       Council’s policy influence over businesses and partners operating in its jurisdiction and how to assure that businesses were modern slavery/human rights risk free; and

·       Recruitment policy and training of staff on modern slavery issues.

Members then asked a number of questions of Professor Islam, based on his deputation.

The Convener thanked Professor Islam for his contribution. 

The Committee heard the deputation and will be recoreded in the minute.

The Committee received a deputation from Ms Hannah Chowdhry who was supported by her father Mr Wilson Chowdhry.

Ms Chowdhry, in her presentation, outlined that she had purchased a house in Torry, unaware of any issues or concerns in regards to Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), and believed there was a systematic failure from the Council as RAAC was known to be a concern in the 1990’s.  She believed that the Council had a moral duty to support those who had purchased formal Council properties, which were affected by RAAC and the oversight from the Council had led to many people purchasing faulty properties.  She highlighted that the safety and wellbeing of constituents was paramount. 

Ms Chowdhry requested that action be taken now to support those who had purchased Council properties affected by RAAC, and highlighted the human toll the situation was having on a lot of individuals.  She also asked Members to remember that real people were involved and to remember this when taking  budget decisions.  

Mr Wilson Chowdhry then spoke to the Committee and advised that he and his daughter were representing the community, who were affected by RAAC properties and highlighted the financial distress many individuals were facing.  He explained that some homeowners had paid off their mortgages, only to have to then fund the repairs to the roofs due to RAAC, leaving them in debt.  He highlighted that this issue fell under the Council’s jurisdiction and urged Members to support homeowners affected negatively by RAAC.

Members then asked a number of questions based on the deputation.

At this juncture, Councillor Watson, seconded by Councillor Graham, moved a procedural motion:-

to suspend Standing Order 14.4 in order to allow more time for questions to the deputation.

On a division, there voted – for the procedural motion (8) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Cross, Davidson, Graham, McLellan, Mrs Stewart and Watson -  against the procedural motion (1) – Councillor Bouse.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the procedural motion and to allow another ten minutes for questions for the deputation.

Members then asked further questions based on the deputation and the information presented. 

The Convener then thanked both Ms Chowdhry and Mr Chowdhry for their contribution.

The Committee resolved:-

to note that two deputation requests had been received in relation to item 11.2 on the agenda - Aberdeen’s Future Library and Information Service.

The Committee received two deputations from Ms Laurie Mackay and Ms Karen Barrett. 

Ms Mackay in her presentation, outlined that libraries were about people and the way people had access to local libraries across Aberdeen had changed due to multiple changes in opening hours and a reduction in access to community branches across the city. Ms Mackay advised that whilst more people were using and seeking digital resources, there was still digital poverty in the city meaning these resources could not be accessed from every home either due to a lack of education, a lack of IT equipment, affordable internet, language barriers or disability. Libraries were also not all about accessing information and books, but also about learning, getting support to access information, and connecting with communities.

Ms Mackay presented a table ahead of the deputation and explained that it showed how library visits fell and then had been gradually increasing. Ms Mackay outlined that the total library visits did not reflect this within the context of the number of branches open, the total hours they were open for compared to how they once were before the COVID-19 pandemic closures. She advised that they also did not reflect the need in some areas, particularly where schools did not have a library and school librarian. Ms Mackay intimated that an empty classroom with books on display was not the same as a staffed school library service and noted that a school library had very limited access for communities, and that not all families educate their children through the schools. There were many families in Aberdeen who use libraries as part of their child's home learning instead of registering them at school.

Ms Mackay also stated that she hoped that as housing developments were approved in areas around the city, amenities such as community centres and libraries that were accessible to people of all ages were within a safe walking distance from their homes, noting that Stirling Council had been increasing its branches, opening up new staffed community libraries.

Ms Mackay explained that consideration needed to be taken with location.   She indicated that many people in Garthdee were unaware of their local library service due to it being based in Kaimhill School as well as it being closed for 2 years during the pandemic. She advised that often libraries within school buildings proved to be a barrier to people in the community who did not have children who attended that particular school.

Ms Mackay said that lower library footfall or lack of engagement in the consultation in neighbourhoods where there was the greatest need to improve mental health, educational attainment, and child literacy levels should not be used as a reason to reduce or close a community library service, but as an indicator that more needed to be done to help people to feel safe and welcome to access the services that could benefit them.

Ms Mackay advised thatan important factor was to do consultation with communities who had lost their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4