By Wilson Chowdhry, Chairperson of the UK RAAC Campaign Group
29 July 2025
In a nation that prides itself on fairness and justice, RAAC-affected homeowners across Scotland are asking a simple question: Why are we being ignored?
This week, I sent a formal letter — co-signed by Kerry MacKintosh (Deputy Chair of the UK RAAC Campaign Group and spokesperson for West Lothian homeowners) and Lynsey McQuater (Chair of the Tillicoultry RAAC Campaign Group) — to Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Cabinet Secretary for Housing Màiri McAllan. The letter urgently requests a personal and group meeting to discuss the escalating crisis facing homeowners whose properties contain dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). Read the letter redacted to remove signatures (here).
Despite multiple previous requests for engagement, our calls for dialogue have been met with silence.
“I’ve been ousted from my home for nearly two years — a home I worked hard for, that I expected to grow old in — and what have I been offered? A so-called ‘voluntary agreement’ that doesn’t even reflect the real value of my property, or an interest-ridden loan that only lasts 15 years. These are not solutions — they’re ultimatums disguised as choices. Clackmannanshire Council is being allowed to push these unacceptable offers onto homeowners because the Scottish Government won’t even grant us the dignity of a meeting. How can they pretend to care when they refuse to even listen?” – Lynsey McQuater, Chair, Tillicoultry RAAC Campaign Group and frontline NHS nurse.
Scotland’s RAAC Crisis: A National Scandal in Slow Motion
The Scottish Government has yet to meet with the most informed and engaged campaigners on this issue — even as homes crumble, families remain displaced, and uncertainty deepens. Instead, isolated meetings have been arranged with residents from Dundee and Aberdeen — groups less involved in national coordination — while key voices from West Lothian and Tillicoultry have been deliberately excluded.
This exclusion is not just poor planning; it sends a message: "Your voice does not matter."
I was originally invited to a Dundee meeting by the very campaign group I helped to establish. But on the day of the meeting, I was barred from attending — told I could not enter because I did not live in Dundee. Yet Aberdeen residents were allowed to attend a meeting in Dundee. How can this inconsistency be justified?
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, said:
“It’s clear to me that the Housing Minister’s previous visits were nothing more than political theatre — carefully staged in areas where the SNP holds a strong majority, and offering absolutely nothing of substance to desperate families. These visits gave false hope to residents who trusted their elected representatives to help them, only to be handed empty promises and deflections. The Scottish Government continues to call on Westminster to fund a solution, knowing full well that homeowners like us won’t be so easily pacified. That’s why they refuse to meet with us — because they know we’ll hold them to account. Meanwhile, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Dundee RAAC Campaign Group have already sold their homes for a pittance, betrayed by the very politicians they once believed in. We will not be silenced.”
To make matters worse, First Minister John Swinney now claims he’s willing to meet RAAC homeowners—yet continues to ignore every request we've made. Please watch the video:
Leadership Requires Courage — and Accountability
Scotland’s Parliament has recognised my work on this issue. I have drafted and submitted petitions to the Scottish, Welsh, and UK Parliaments, which have been referenced in parliamentary debates across the UK. That expertise should be seen as an asset — not a threat.
The Scottish Government’s approach so far has amounted to little more than window dressing. No firm commitments have been made. No timelines have been given. And most importantly, no responsibility has been taken.
Housing is a devolved matter. That means the Scottish Government has both the power and the duty to act. If Westminster refuses to fund remediation, will Holyrood step up, or will our communities continue to be passed from pillar to post?
A Crisis Felt Hardest by the Most Vulnerable
Tillicoultry, Deans South, and other RAAC-affected estates are not affluent neighbourhoods. These are communities that already face deprivation and housing insecurity. For them, the RAAC crisis is not a political inconvenience — it is a daily, living nightmare. Roofs are collapsing. Homes are uninhabitable. Possessions remain inside derelict buildings, exposed to weather and theft. Families are separated, livelihoods disrupted.
The silence from those in power is not just disappointing. It’s shameful.
Political Support Is Growing — But Where Is the Scottish Government?
Even as Scottish ministers continue to dodge responsibility, other elected officials are stepping up. MP Brian Leishman has not only voiced his concern publicly but has also taken formal action. In a letter dated 19 June 2025, addressed to Housing Cabinet Secretary Màiri McAllan, he requested a meeting in Tillicoultry with residents directly impacted by the RAAC evacuations. He highlighted that his constituents were given just a few hours’ notice before being forced from their homes and that, eighteen months on, they are no closer to a resolution with Clackmannanshire Council. He made clear that this situation is “in no way an acceptable one” and urged the Cabinet Secretary to work toward a just solution. The letter also raised the possibility of accessing the Housing Infrastructure Fund, as has been discussed in Aberdeen, to help mitigate remediation costs.
Leishman further expressed his frustration in a public statement:
"It has been more than a month since I wrote to the new Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Housing to invite her to a meeting with my Tillicoultry constituents who have been impacted by the RAAC crisis. Homeowners deserve a fair resolution after going through hardship many of us cannot even imagine..."
"It has been more than a month since I wrote to the new Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Housing to invite her to a meeting with my Tillicoultry constituents who have been impacted by the RAAC crisis. Homeowners deserve a fair resolution after going through hardship many of us cannot even imagine. I am still waiting for the Minister’s reply as I am keen to discuss what people have gone through and how their lives have been changed forever, through no fault of their own."
He also expressed his intention to raise the issue in Westminster after the summer recess and drew attention to our newly launched public petition:
👉 https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/730731
It is clear that momentum is growing — and that the public, media, and political figures are beginning to recognise the scale and injustice of this scandal.
A Call for Justice — And a Meeting
Our letter reminds Scotland’s leaders that they walk in the shadow of giants — from William Wallace to Robert the Bruce — figures who symbolised justice and resistance. Today, Scotland’s government must live up to that legacy.
We are asking, once again, for a meeting. Not a PR stunt. Not a vague promise to “look into it.” But an honest, respectful, solutions-focused discussion between decision-makers and those living the consequences of decisions made decades ago.
The Scottish Government can no longer claim ignorance. We await their response.
Until then, we will not be silent.
“I am absolutely disgusted by the way the SNP has treated Scottish citizens affected by RAAC in their homes. I’m one of only ten people who won a public inquiry in 2004 to save my home in West Lothian — and the Scottish Government did nothing to help then, just as they’re doing nothing now. They speak of independence and national pride, yet fail to serve their own people with the same respect and fairness shown by their English counterparts. The blood of martyrs built this country, but today’s politicians dishonour that legacy. William Wallace would turn in his grave at the state of Scottish leadership. We must be compensated just as residents in Basildon were — with pre-RAAC valuations and recognition of the full costs of losing a home. Nothing less is acceptable.”
— Kerry MacKintosh, Deputy Chair, UK RAAC Campaign Group & West Lothian RAAC Spokesperson
If you're a Scottish resident concerned about the RAAC crisis, or if you believe in justice for homeowners abandoned by the system, please share this post and tag @ScotGov in your messages. Sign and share the petition. Our voices deserve to be heard.
#RAACScotland #DeansSouth #TillicoultryRAAC #ScottishHousingCrisis #WeAreNotGoingAway #JusticeForHomeowners #UKRAACCampainGroup
