Motion 55
Funding to Address RAAC Panelling in Scotland's Public Buildings
“That this Congress notes the extent of the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panelling in public buildings throughout Scotland.
“This method of construction has a shelf life that has long since expired and has left numerous buildings within Scotland’s public sector unfit for purpose with roofs leaking and crumbling, workers left negotiating the mitigations of acro-props and buckets, and public sector organisations facing increasing costs for ongoing surveying and mitigation within these now potentially dangerous buildings.
“In the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service there were 14 operational fire stations that had such mitigations in place since 2019, with only one having been repaired in that time. The remedial action needed to repair, replace or rebuild the remaining stations requires considerable and long overdue investment, estimated to be in excess of £60 million.
“With a significant and growing capital budget backlog the likelihood is that, for some of these stations at least, firefighters will be working around internal scaffolding and buckets catching rainwater for the foreseeable future.
“As mentioned above, the cost of monitoring through consultancy firms, and of the resultant knock-on repairs is significant and as public sector budgets continue to be put under enormous financial pressures, there is a clear risk that these issues cannot be properly addressed from each organisation’s capital budgets.
“Congress calls for a campaign demanding specific ring-fenced funding from the Scottish Government, to support public sector organisations in remedying the RAAC crisis in Scotland’s public buildings.”
Mover: Fire Brigades Union
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