First Minister Humza Yousaf is facing calls to provide funding to repair or demolish Aberdeen properties affected by the discovery of crumbling concrete with estimates it will cost “tens of millions”.
Aberdeen City Council has paused upgrades to other city homes to pay for rehoming council tenants in the Balnagask area with £3m of its own cash set aside.
So far neither the UK or Scottish Government has offered any extra financial support to the council which is currently considering the long-term future of the site.
North East Tory MSP Liam Kerr raised the problem at Holyrood this week, accusing the SNP of having “abandoned Aberdeen residents by not putting its hand in its pocket”.
Yet Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack have also ruled out any additional cash from Westminster to rectify the problems.
SNP make funding plea
The SNP has appealed for help from Mr Yousaf directly on behalf of the council.
In a letter to the first minister on March 21, SNP housing convener Miranda Radley asked her party leader what financial support might be available to the council.
She said options for the long-term future of the site include, amongst other options, the possibility of remedial works and demolition.
Ms Radley added: “This detailed appraisal will be presented to the council within six months.
“I would advise that we will not know the cost of any intervention until this exercise is complete, however, we do envisage this will run into tens of millions of pounds.”
The SNP councillor said it would be “hugely appreciated if any possible financial support for the future of this site could be outlined to the council prior to a decision being taken on the site’s future”.
She told the P&J: “I have met with the Scottish Government’s housing minister on a number of occasions and council officers are working closely with government officials, keeping them updated on the options appraisal being carried out for the Balnagask properties and with the ongoing rehoming project, including the potential costs involved.”
Mr Kerr claimed Scottish Government ministers have “buried their heads in the sand”.
He added: “Balnagask residents, who have been placed in this terrible situation through no fault of their own, require more support than they are getting while others across the city are also suffering due to the pause in housing improvements.”
Speaking to the P&J last month, the Scottish Secretary lay the responsibility of dealing with the crumbling concrete on the Scottish Government.
He said the Scottish Government has a “record block grant” and that it is “up to them” how they spend it, ruling out additional help from Westminster.
But the Scottish Government blamed the UK Government for the real-terms cut of almost 9% in their capital budget.
A spokesman said: “Aberdeen City Council are currently assessing the options for the affected homes and deciding the best approach to remove or remediate the high risk Raac that has been identified. As part of this, we will continue to work closely with Aberdeen City Council to understand the costs involved.”
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