As you will have noticed in the press over the last two weeks, Edinburgh City Council Property Conservation Department is under investigation by the Police and by forensic accountants for corruption in relation to overpayments for sub-standard work of tenement properties. Edinburgh City Council have ben issuing Statutory Notices to force homeowners to have refurbishment work carried out. In addition, all homeowners have each been issued with a 15% commission on the total value of the work carried out, to be paid to Edinburgh City Council.
We warned in February 2009 that giving Councils such draconian powers in relation to hard-pressed homeowners could lead to such corruption. In fact, only Edinburgh City Council and Glasgow City Council have used these draconian powers. Glasgow City Council has followed the Edinburgh model, charging homeowners the full price of all the works and getting 15% commission on top. This state of affairs in Glasgow could very well lead to the very corrupt practises that have now been identified in Edinburgh. If you are a homeowner in a tenement who has been subjected to a Statutory Notice and 15% commission payment demands, we want to know, so please come to our next meeting on 20 October at 7 p.m., Jury’s Hotel, Jamaica Street, Glasgow.
