‘Monumental' mistake allowed £40k Buckie windows blunder

A report revealing a £40k spend on windows the wrong size for homes in Buckie has been regarded as a “monumental” mistake.

Councillors took the opportunity to ask council officers how the 96 replacement windows for homes on Carnie Place was not dealt with for years.

They also questioned if the council had created a culture of fear, where employees are scared to escalate problems to officers.

The “ill-fitting” windows were kept in storage for several years once the council became aware the windows could not installed.

Council officers admitted the culture of fear could exist but insisted the windows were a “one off” and work would continue on a “shift in culture.”

Councillors lined up to have their say on the window debacle, which has left homes on Carnie Place without replacement windows since 2022.

Sandy Keith asked why internal council meetings hadn’t caught the oversight sooner.

“Why was this hidden from us?” he asked. “If this [internal council] group was meeting every six weeks you would think at some stage it would have percolated upwards.

“It impacts upon the reputation of the council,” Councillor Keith added.

Deputy leader Donald Gatt called it an “embarrassing situation” for the council.

It follows several other expensive mishaps from the council including the £206k spent on unused classrooms for Aberlour and ongoing battle over St Giles Centre business rates.

Councillor Sonya Warren asked if the tenants affected had received a “full and proper” apology.

Head of Housing and Property Services Edward Thomas said the council had not issued an apology but said officers were working towards “putting right” the situation with affected tenants.

A new contract for the windows has been issued and is “expected to be delivered in the next 8-12 weeks” according to Mr Thomas.

This will include other planned work like insulation improvements.

Councillor Jérémie Fernandes said the fact the mistake was hidden away “speaks of a culture within the council where people are afraid to raise issues.

He asked the officers if council staff “fear” bringing their concerns to officers and if they were “comfortable with the culture within the service.”

Responding to the concerns, Internal Audit Manager Dafydd Lewis said: “From my experience, kicking the old can down the road, it always comes back and bites you.

“Some services will pick up the phone and speak to us in Audit a lot sooner than other services.

“So whether that’s the work we need to do as an organisation and culture? I think the answer most probably is yes.”

Mr Thomas said Councillor Fernandes’ comments were “fair” and reading back through the report felt like “slow-motion” to him.

Building Services Manager Mike Rollo said: “We have flagged up issues. There is certainly not a hidden culture where we hide problems – we are open and honest.

“I’m confident we’ve learnt a big lesson here and will not repeat it,” he added.

Mr Rollo said it was a “perfect storm” of post-covid recovery and staffing changes that contributed to the window oversight.

He also added the fact the windows were stored “not in sight” in a Keith depot away from their centralised Mosstodloch base did not help.

Mr Thomas blamed post-covid recovery and referenced the housing department was “wholesale decimated” and “re-employed from scratch” over that period.

He added the issue should have been escalated and “That’s something that we will reflect on to ensure it does not recur.”

Council officers said they will not be able to recoup the full cost of the windows but will look into getting as much money back as possible.

Councillor Bloomfield said he’d heard the windows had been offered to people for free on Facebook, but officers confirmed they still had all the windows.

The council say they are working towards combining purchase and installation together in future projects to avoid materials getting lost in the system.

Building Services Manager Mike Rollo said it was a “one off” and a check of the council’s other building stock has come back clean.

Moray Council’s new chief executive Karen Greaves said she was working on a “shift in culture” within the council.

She added the “last thing I want” is for issues to be brought to her attention by councillors “that I should have been made aware of.”

The windows were uncovered when Housing committee chair Amber Dunbar raised the alarm in October last year.

A total of 765 windows were ordered for properties across Moray back in 2021.

However, 96 of those windows meant for Carnie Place arrived in the wrong size.

The windows were between 2-10cm larger than the window openings they were due to fit.

Contractors at the time said the windows could not be fitted without “structural changes to the properties at significant cost.”

The “ill-fitting” windows have cost the council £40,412.