Agenda item

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 belated support from the Scottish Government for those Torry homeowners affected by RAAC and the visit of the Cabinet Secretary for Housing last week;

(2)      instructs the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to engage with the Torry Community RAAC Campaign Group (TCRC) on discussions with Scottish Government;

(3)      instructs the Chief Officer - Finance to outline the proposed distribution of the £10m by Service Update before any demolition commences;

(4)      agrees to set up a cross-party working group (numbers and composition to be agreed by Council) co-led by the Convener of the Communities Housing and Public Protection Committee and a Member of the Opposition, on the best course of alternative action should the Chief Officer - Capital determine that the risk associated with continued occupation of around 100 residents cannot be sufficiently mitigated to sufficiently low levels; and

(5)      instructs the Chief Officer - Capital, in supporting owner/occupiers, to ensure that any costs associated with any alternative solution identified by the cross party working group, be included in the HRA budget 2026/27.

Councillor Radley moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

            That the Council -

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

(2)      agrees 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

(3)      instructs 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 (2) above including the mechanism and a recommended timescale for making such offers; and

b.            the External Audit advice referred to above.

There being a motion and two amendments, the Council first divided between the two amendments.

On a division, there voted:-

For the amendment by Councillor Brooks   (5)  -  Councillors Boulton, Brooks, Crockett, Farquhar and Kusznir.

For the amendment by Councillor Radley  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Buchanan, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

Declined to vote  (13)  - Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Graham, Grant, Lawrence, Macdonald, Malik, Massey, Nicoll, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

The Council then divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Radley.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion   (14)  -  Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Lawrence, Macdonald, Malik, Massey, Nicoll, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

For the amendment by Councillor Radley  (26)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Brooks, Buchanan, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Farquhar, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, Kusznir, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the amendment by Councillor Radley.