Issue - meetings

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Housing’s invitation to the Council to bid for £10 million, note the Cabinet Secretary’s meeting with Co-leaders on 22 October 2025, and note the Cabinet Secretary’s verbal assurance of additional resources;

(ii)           to agree in principle, and subject to compliance with the Council’s statutory duties, to make improved and final offers to affected homeowners for the voluntary acquisition of their properties, using the Capital Fund, the Council approved funding solution, such offers to comprise the following:-

(a) market value of the property

(b) legal and professional fees

(c) an additional payment to homeowners on the following basis:

(i) 4 bedroom properties - £44,000

(ii) 3 bedroom properties - £37,000

(iii) 1 bedroom properties - £20,000

(d) the above in (c) will include all other disbursements and claims including but not restricted to moving costs and home loss payments.

In addition to agree in principle, and subject to compliance with the Council’s statutory duties, a balancing payment to those who have already concluded missives or sold their property to the Council to ensure that they are in an equivalent financial position (reflecting payments that have already been made) to those who have not already concluded missives or sold their property to the Council; and

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Executive to seek advice from External Audit around Best Value (BV) considerations relating to the proposal outlined above, and to report to the Finance and Resources Committee, 5 November 2025, or Urgent Business Committee at the earliest opportunity, such report to include:-

a.      the implications and full costs of offering affected homeowners the offer at point (ii) above including the mechanism and a recommended timescale for making such offers; and

b.      the External Audit advice referred to above.

With reference to the minute of the special meeting of Aberdeen City Council of 21 October 2025, the Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 12 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“Welcomes the belated opportunity to bid for £10m of additional financial support linked to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in order to generate financial headroom to help address RAAC at Balnagask”. 

Councillor Malik moved, seconded by Councillor Watson:-

            That the Council -

(1)      welcomes the belated support for RAAC at Balnagask from the Scottish Government noting the last correspondence before this announcement between the Council and the Minister appears to be on the 28^th of July 2025;

(2)      agrees the belated support comes less than 24 hours after a meeting of Aberdeen City Council where the SNP led Administration again refused to support a motion to engage with the Scottish Government to provide additional funding streams to bridge the gap between the loss of value due to the pressure of RAAC and the pre RAAC valuations, which may support a just and equitable settlement;

(3)      regrets the decision to demolish roughly 350 homes at Balnagask;

(4)      instructs the Executive Director - Families and Communities to represent the Council in discussions with the Scottish Government and bring forward appropriate project proposals for inclusion in the Affordable Housing Supply Programme that will facilitate the release of the belated funds referred to above as soon as possible and provide a fully costed report to Council as soon as practicable. This will include compensating the RAAC homeowners to market value plus a payment to reflect the impact RAAC has had on the value of their homes;

(5)      instructs the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to engage with RAAC homeowners on discussions with Scottish Government;

(6)      notes the intention to initially allocate an additional £10m from the HRA Capital programme to complement the belated £10m from the Scottish government to fix the roofs on all homes affected by RAAC as part of the budget setting process;

(7)      agrees to set up a cross-party working group (numbers and composition to be agreed by Council) led by the Convener of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on how best the Council can achieve the position of retaining Council Houses, supporting owner/occupiers and ensuring that appropriate renovation of Council homes affected by RAAC are included within the HRA budget 26/27 and beyond; and

(8)      in addition to the now voluntary acquisition offer to home owners:

·           The Council will pay any professional fees reasonably incurred for property advice.

·           The Council would also cover any reasonably incurred legal fees.

·           In addition, home owners would receive a home loss payment equal to 10% of their current property's market value.

·           The Council will also meet other reasonable costs, such as moving expenses and early mortgage surrender fees.

Councillor Brooks moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Kusznir:-

            That the Council -

(1)      acknowledges the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4

The Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 12 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“Welcomes the belated opportunity to bid for £10m of additional financial support linked to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in order to generate financial headroom to help address RAAC at Balnagask”. 

The Lord Provost advised that in relation to Standing Order 8.2.1, that he was adjourning the meeting until Tuesday 28 October 2025, in order to allow key officers to be present to answer questions.

-       DAVID CAMERON, Lord Provost

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to acknowledge the efforts of Council officers throughout the rehoming exercise which had seen all affected tenants accept an offer of alternative housing;

(ii)            to note that homeowners had been offered a number of options by Aberdeen City Council, including voluntary acquisition, property swap, and the offer of a council tenancy, supported throughout the process by officers;

(iii)          to agree to continue to work to help the people of Balnagask through the RAAC situation and agree that, in addition to the voluntary acquisition offer to home owners:

·       the Council would pay any professional fees reasonably incurred for property advice

·       the Council would also cover any reasonably incurred legal fees

·       in addition, home owners would receive a home loss payment equal to 10% of their current property's market value

·       the Council would also meet other reasonable costs, such as moving expenses and early mortgage surrender fees;

(iv)          to note the decision of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on 26 August 2025 which instructed officers to recommence with immediate effect the planning, preparation, engagement and mitigation works in respect of demolition of only Council-owned blocks; 

(v)           to note that no other local authority or Government was offering the level of financial support to affected tenants and homeowners that Aberdeen City Council had to date;

(vi)          to note that the Executive Director - Children and Families would request Building Standards to pull together information regarding the eviction process in relation to dangerous properties with regard to the Housing (Scotland) Act and circulate to all Councillors;

(vii)         to note that the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord was putting together an advice note in response to an instruction from the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee with regard to issues such as security patrols, fly tipping, vandalism and missed bin collections in the affected area and that this would be circulated to all Councillors and would include the name of the security contractor; and

(viii)       to note that the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord would circulate links to all Councillors with information regarding property swaps and accompanying values.

The Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 12 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“The business to be transacted related to the failure of the administration members of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on 26 August 2025, to consider seeking advice on financial flexibilities to achieve a just and equitable settlement for RAAC homeowners in line the Scottish Government position expressed most recently by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing Mairi McAllan on 27^th August 2025.”

Councillor Nicoll moved, seconded by Councillor Watson:-

            That the Council -

(1)      Notes at the meeting of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on 26 August 2025, amendments were moved by opposition Councillors to address the unjust and inequitable motion being proposed by the SNP and Liberal Democrat administration.

(2)      Notes the proposals in amendments included, but were not limited to:-

·           Agreeing that the roof on - roof off option was presented in a way that would be unaffordable to residents, according to the views of the Torry Community RAAC Campaign

·           Agreeing that demolition work whilst many residents were living on site would represent a cavalier disregard for residents' safety by the SNP

·           Master planning for the site would waste public funds while the future of the site remained uncertain

·           Seeking approval from the Scottish Government regarding unlocking the £20M Housing Infrastructure Fund as a funding source for a just and equitable settlement

·           Seeking additional funding to secure the additional sum required to meet a non-RAAC estimated value for home owner properties in addition to the current financial package on offer or alternatively calculate the sum required to deliver the alternative proposals put forward by home owners that would remove the need for them to find any additional funding costs should they be implemented

(3)      Notes the cavalier attitude of the Convener to refuse to refer the matter to a meeting of Council stating "l will be blocking that, we're moving forward".

(4)      Notes that within 24 hours of the administration decision, the SNP Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan met with Dundee RAAC tenants and homeowners as part of a series of face-to-face meetings. Following the meeting she stated to media outlets "l am currently in the final stages of considering the reprofiling of funding from Aberdeen City Council. That was a request from them. I have been clear this morning that I will consider any request for flexibility that Councils wish to put."

(5)      Expresses deep concern that the SNP led administration on Aberdeen City Council not only fails to listen and help those impacted by this situation, but also clearly fails to properly engage with Scottish Government colleagues, to reach just and equitable settlement outcomes for those affected by RAAC, preferring instead to place homeowners with a choice of RAAC or ruin.

(6)      Notes that on 29 August 2025, the SNP/Liberal Democrat administration placed Aberdeen City Council in a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to welcome the statement of 10^th September 2025 below, signed by the SNP Group Leader Councillor Allard, the Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Yuill and the Labour Group Leader Councillor Malik:

“Aberdeen has a long tradition to welcoming people from all over the world. In recent years our city has welcomed refugees fleeing war and violence from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

“Many in Aberdeen, volunteers across all sectors and all walks of life, are supporting people fleeing wars and persecution and doing an amazing job on our behalf.

“We urge everyone thinking of joining gatherings in front of hotels being used by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers to respect one another and to respect the rights of the people seeking asylum.

“We condemn the false claims and hateful rhetoric that are threatening community cohesion.

“We will work to ensure that Aberdeen remains a city that welcomes newcomers and treats them with dignity and respect.”; and

(ii)           to note that the Executive Director - Families and Communities would circulate a log of all communications between Aberdeen City Council and the Home Office since the beginning of discussions in relation to the relevant properties with regard to asylum accommodation.

The Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 12 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“The business to be transacted related to the failure of the SNP and Liberal Democrat administration to provide a full, open, and transparent account to the citizens of Aberdeen City Council, of plans put forward by the Home Office to provide additional new accommodation for asylum seekers being sent to the city. Additionally, to instruct the Chief Executive to provide details of all meeting and communications with elected members and Home Office officials regarding the Home Office proposals.”

Councillor Nicoll moved, seconded by Councillor Malik:-

            That Council -

1.    Notes on 13 August 2025, all elected members of Aberdeen City Council were provided with a confidential briefing regarding an increase in dispersal accommodation for asylum seekers in Aberdeen and identifying new sites together with timelines for new accommodation to become available.

2.    Notes media reports about Kevin Stewart MSP on 28 August 2025 expressing concerns regarding the use of former Aberdeen University Halls of Residence in Don Street, Aberdeen as accommodation for asylum seekers and indicating that the Council could consider a legal challenge to the decision and further in a letter to the Council calling for the proposals to be shelved.

3.    Notes media reports on Saturday 13 September 2025 that Aberdeen City Council Chiefs were not informed of a Home Office decision regarding accommodation for asylum seekers located in Aberdeen.  The report stated that Council co leader Christian Allard blasted the lack of notice from the Home Office officials stating, “We've been notified, we've not been asked, no consultation has happened with Aberdeen City Council, with the communities, with the universities, with student groups.”  Expresses concern that these media statements may be construed as being economical with the truth.

4.    Notes  that during the week 8 to 12 September 2025 a meeting between senior officers and political group leaders of Aberdeen City Council was called to discuss the changes to dispersal accommodation in Aberdeen.

5.    Notes no independent or single party members were invited to the meeting despite forming 11% of the council membership.  Further noting this group comprises a former Lord Provost, former Deputy Provost, former Co-Leader, former Deputy Leader and an Individual Party Member.

6.    Instructs the Chief Executive to urgently prepare a report detailing all Council contact with the Home Office regarding this matter, together with details of all steps taken to inform individual elected members of the progress of these proposals, and to submit the report to a Council meeting as soon as possible.

7.    Notes with concern that the democratic process in Aberdeen City Council excludes some elected members from information sharing.  Instructs the Chief Executive to immediately consult with independent and single party members on the future dissemination of information being shared with political group leaders.

8.    Welcomes the statement of 10 September 2025 below, signed by the SNP Group  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4

The Council resolved:-

to note that the Convener had not accepted the motion as it had not been submitted in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.3.

The Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 12 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“The business to be transacted relates to the failure of the administration members of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on 26^th August 2025, to consider seeking advice on financial flexibilities to achieve a just and equitable settlement for RAAC homeowners in line with the Scottish Government position expressed most recently by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing Mairi McAllan on 27^th August 2025.”

The Convener advised that he had to address a procedural matter. In accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders, namely 8.2.3, any motion intended to be considered at this meeting must be submitted alongside the requisition notice. He noted that unfortunately, that requirement was not met in this instance. As such, the Convener determined that the motion in question could not proceed. He stated that this decision had been made to uphold the integrity of the Council’s procedures and ensure fairness and consistency in how meetings were conducted. The meeting was therefore concluded.

to take no action.

The Council had before it the wording of the written request for this special Council meeting which had been signed by 12 members in accordance with Standing Order 8.2.2:-

“The business to be transacted relates to section 62 Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended and section 20 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 as amended.”

Councillor Malik moved, seconded by Councillor Tissera:-

            That the Council -

1.      Notes the Council, in terms of the requisition, is entitled to make its own Standing Orders.

2.      Notes the decision by the Convener, Councillor Radley, at the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee who refused to allow a vote on referring the Viability Assessment of Proposals from Owners of Properties with RAAC to the full Council in breach of Standing Order 34.1.

3.      Notes this omission was confirmed in writing by the Chief Officer - Governance after the event.

4.      Agrees this matter is before Council today not because this matter was not progressed to Council but because the Convener, Councillor Radley, acted out with her powers as SO 36.2 makes it clear matters of competency and relevancy are matters for the Convener UNLESS otherwise specified. Clearly SO 34.1 is otherwise specified.

5.      Agrees that Officers as well as Members are guardians of governance and competency within the committee system. 

6.      Agrees despite Officers taking Members through changes to Standing Orders on 16^th April 2025 at Full Council, Officers were not afforded an opportunity to confirm their understanding of the Standing Order nor asked for advice.  Aberdeen Labour suggest that Officers should intervene when there is a potential breach of Standing Orders or legislation.

7.      Notes the Council in terms of the requisition has powers to advance well-being. 

8.      Agrees Elected Members were not advised about discretionary powers under section 20 Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 in February 2024 at the Urgent Business Committee meeting and if they had known about these discretionary powers a differing position might have been taken.

9.      Agrees to acknowledge the powers available to Council and instructs the Chief Officer - Governance to produce a note as to the legal position regarding the propositions put by the Torry RAAC Campaign Group Management Committee to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on 27^th May 2025.

Councillor Allard moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

            That the Council take no action.

After eight Members had spoken, in terms of Standing Order 31.1, Councillor McLellan moved as a procedural motion, seconded by Councillor Henrickson:-

            That no further debate take place.

On a division, there voted:-

For the procedural motion   (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Buchanan, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

Against the procedural motion  (15)  -  Councillors Blake, Bonsell, Boulton, Brooks, Crockett, Farquhar, Graham, Grant, Lawrence, McLeod, Malik, Massey, Nicoll, Thomson and Tissera.

Absent from the division  (1)  -  Councillor Kusznir.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1