P&J and Courier unite for the first time to help families Trapped by Raac
In a first for both titles, we join with our sister paper The Courier to share a joint front page highlighting those devastated by the defective block crisis.
That is a testament to how serious an issue it has become in our communities.
Together, alongside the thousands of those affected, we are united against Raac.
We are also asking for your help – we are asking our readers to sign this petition and give homeowners and tenants a voice in the corridors of power.
That is where their plight must be heard.
For this special edition of these newspapers, both editors of these publications have said why they have taken this important step in highlighting the issue blighting our communities.
Editor of The Press and Journal, Craig Walker, said that we'll continue to champion the people of Balnagask, but more needs to be done.
'More than 500 houses, thousands of people displaced, hundreds more in limbo and 18 months of misery for all. This is the scale and the cost of Aberdeen City Council discovering risky Raac in the roofs of Balnagask homes,' he said.
'Yet this week in Holyrood, weeks into our Trapped by Raac campaign, finance minister Ivan McKee claimed MSPs were 'scaremongering' with comments about residents losing their homes or being stuck in worthless properties.
'He even said Raac does not have to be a 'problem' if it is 'properly maintained'.
'What chance do the good people of Balnagask have – and almost a thousand more in Dundee and Angus – if their government ministers can't comprehend the scale of this disaster?
'This is why we launched our campaign. And it's why we are standing shoulder to shoulder with our sister title The Courier, today.
'Time has run out for buck-passing, and for ignorance. It's time to face reality, stand united, and help those suffering through no fault of our own.
''A complete injustice' is how Tory MSP Meghan Gallagher described the situation in Aberdeen, to which Mr McKee told her to 'tone down her language and focus on the facts.'
'Well, the facts are these: Hundreds of homes are going to be demolished unless funding can be found to provide alternative solutions. Hundreds more are living with the threat of Raac literally over their heads. And thousands of signatures are needed to get governments of all levels to come together to find a way forward.
'We have championed the Balnagask people on the pages of The Press and Journal. We've told the stories of families, pensioners, war veterans, babies, first-time buyers and long-standing members of the community.
'With no way forward, Trapped by Raac, they need our help.'
David Clegg, editor for The Courier, says: 'In Dundee alone, nearly 900 homes are caught in the RAAC crisis. Dozens more are affected in nearby Monifieth – and across Scotland, the total runs into the thousands, including in cities like Aberdeen.
'This isn't just about buildings. It's about people.
'It's families raising children in homes that may no longer be safe. Elderly couples unable to downsize for health reasons.
'It's young first-time buyers trapped in negative equity. It's grieving daughters who, after the loss of a loved one, now face the burden of inheriting a crumbling flat that could financially devastate them.
'Both tenants and homeowners are affected, but it is the homeowners who face the sharpest edge of this crisis.
'They are living in properties no longer worth the value of their mortgage.
'Many cannot sell, cannot move, and cannot see a way forward.
'They are Trapped by Raac.
'That's why The Courier and The Press and Journal have taken the landmark decision to share our front pages.
'This is more than a campaign – it's a call for urgent action.
'Each level of government is passing the buck.
'Councils will support their own tenants but are leaving private homeowners to face this alone.
'Holyrood looks to Westminster. Westminster looks the other way.
'Homeowners feel abandoned – and with good reason. No one is offering them a way out. No one even appears to be trying.
'Our petition aims to change that. It gives these people a voice and demands those in power finally listen.
'They need your support. We're proud to stand with them. We hope you will too.'
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