The psychobabble business - John McLellan

One Edinburgh resident said it is 'absolutely shocking' after learning that Robertson was named Housebuilder of the Year

It’s there in virtually every company website. “We care about you because you matter to us,” and “we care for the planet because without the planet there is no business,” and that sort of corporate social responsibility tosh.

And here are some examples from a prominent Scottish firm:

“Our purpose: to assure a sustainable future. Certainty and assurance for our customers, our people and our communities….” Aw.

“We listen. Listening enables us to work positively and collaboratively, and gives customers, partners and colleagues the assurance that their voices are always heard….” Wonderful.

And this: “Every challenge is an opportunity. We work collaboratively and focus on safety, productivity and quality to find solutions we can be proud of and that provide a positive, lasting benefit.”

Step forward Stirling-based construction firm Robertson’s, apparently responsible for over 700 “negligently built” Edinburgh council homes, including dampness and fire safety concerns, but which was recently named as Scotland’s Housebuilder of the Year.

A few snags are inevitable in large-scale new build estates, but this number of serious problems seems extraordinary, unless this is just what’s normally expected, in which case it’s an industry-wide issue.

So too should councillors be asking serious questions about why such widespread problems with a major contractor were not reported to them for a year. One for the snagging list too.