Angry flat owners being charged thousands for new hallway lights by Dundee City Council have been refused sight of a breakdown of the charges.
The local authority also admitted the scheme didn’t go out to tender, that no external quotations were sought, and is being carried out by an in-house branch of the council
The Courier reported on Thursday that flat owners in Menzieshill had received letters from the council demanding upwards of £1.5k each for new lights on communal hallways.
The overall cost per block ranges from between £11,345 and £12,752 in letters shared by residents.
Furious homeowners slammed the charges as excessive, one claiming it worked out at a cost of £1260 per new light in their Dickson Avenue block.
Now the council say it is against their policy to show flat owners how they came up with the figures.
Some of the same residents were also billed £7k by the council earlier this week for an unwanted Raac pilot scheme implemented without consultation.
Campaigners say the Raac scheme isn’t fit for purpose as it doesn’t remove the defective concrete.
As part of The Courier’s Trapped by Raac campaign we have been calling on all levels of government to unite and find a solution for homeowners and tenants.
‘External quotes were not sought’
The lighting work on 93 blocks was described as a “£1m investment” when announced by depute provost Kevin Cordell this week.
However, homeowners are being charged for their share of the bill in the mixed tenancy buildings where there needs to be only one council-owned flat.
Now residents have been stonewalled when inquiring how the cost was arrived at by the internal contractor.
The issue arises while transparency concerns are being levelled at the council’s chief executive Greg Colgan who refused to answer questions about his role on the Dundee University court.
Dylan Gowans, the local authority’s project officer for housing and construction, shutdown one resident in an email seen by The Courier.
He wrote: “Construction Services, a division of Dundee City Council, was appointed to carry out the works.
“As an internal contractor, they are often used for urgent or essential works to ensure compliance with safety standards and to streamline project delivery.
“While external quotes were not sought in this instance due to the urgency, Construction Services is required to operate within cost guidelines and demonstrate value for money.”
He added: “I note your request for a detailed breakdown of costs.
“Please be advised that we are unable to provide these documents.
“They contain commercially sensitive and internal technical information which is not routinely shared with individual owners.”
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