A Defining Moment for Scotland’s RAAC Homeowners – Meeting at Atlantic Quay

On Thursday 19th February, I will be leading the UK RAAC Campaign Group during a crucial meeting at the Scottish Government’s headquarters at Atlantic Quay. Senior officials, including representatives from the Better Homes Division, will be present to discuss the ongoing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) crisis that continues to devastate homeowners across Scotland.

This meeting comes after more than two years of sustained campaigning for justice, transparency, and meaningful financial protection for innocent families who have found themselves trapped in a construction failure they neither caused nor could have foreseen.

A National Crisis Without a National Fund

For over two years, we have consistently called for the creation of a national remediation fund for RAAC homeowners. The position we have encountered has been deeply frustrating.

The Housing Minister, Mairi McAllan, has publicly expressed sympathy for affected homeowners and acknowledged the seriousness of the situation. However, she has also repeatedly stated that the Scottish Government does not accept responsibility for establishing a national compensation or remediation fund.

We understand that the matter has been raised with the UK Government. On Thursday, we will be seeking clear answers:

• Has a formal funding request been made?

• What response has been received?

• If no funding is forthcoming, will the Scottish Government step in?

• Or are homeowners expected to continue navigating a fragmented, council-by-council system indefinitely?

A systemic construction defect affecting multiple local authority areas is not a localised issue. It is a national crisis — and it requires a national solution.

The Case for a Full Public Inquiry

We will also be pressing the case for a full and independent Public Inquiry into the RAAC scandal in Scotland.

Serious questions remain unanswered:

• Why were structural warnings dating back to the 1990s and 2000s not acted upon?

• How did councils lose track of the presence of RAAC within their housing stock?

• Why has the Government’s response appeared slow, inconsistent, and reactive?

• Why were some homeowners allowed to purchase properties that authorities later deemed structurally unsafe?

Evidence has been submitted by the UK RAAC Campaign Group suggesting systemic failings and potential political accountability issues. Yet the Scottish Government has so far resisted calls for a statutory inquiry.

Without transparency and independent scrutiny, public confidence will not be restored.

Legislative Reform: Protecting the Innocent

Another key focus of the meeting will be legislative reform.

Cabinet Secretary Màiri McAllan previously agreed to raise proposed legislative changes submitted by Wilson Chowdhry, with the UK Government. We will be asking what concrete progress has been made.

Homeowners are currently facing severe financial injustice:

• Many are losing their homes through no fault of their own.

• Families are accepting acquisition offers that do not fully compensate for displacement costs or long-term investment in their homes.

• Some homeowners continue paying mortgages on properties that are unsafe or have been demolished.

• In areas such as Dundee, properties have been sold for a fraction of their value under pressure.

We will be asking the Scottish Government to take action within its own powers, and to pursue on our behalf those protections that fall under UK Government authority. Specifically:

Within the Scottish Government’s remit:

• Introducing laws to provide stronger long-term protections against construction defects.

• Establishing a national Building Safety Register.

• Strengthening mandatory disclosure requirements in Homebuyer Reports.

To be pursued with the UK Government:

• Restoration of first-time buyer status for homeowners displaced by RAAC.

• Capital repayment-only mortgages for homeowners displaced by catastrophic construction defects, supported by new UK financial regulations or legislation for banks.

Homeowners did not cause this crisis. The law should reflect that reality.

Oversight of Local Authorities and Public Participation

The current response remains inconsistent across council areas.

Concerns have been raised regarding transparency and public participation, including with Aberdeen City Council ( I copied the Better division team into an email) and West Lothian Council. In some areas, residents feel excluded from meaningful dialogue while life-altering decisions are being made.

We will be asking:

• What oversight is the Scottish Government exercising over councils managing RAAC schemes?

• How is the Government ensuring consistency, fairness, and proper public engagement?

• What safeguards are in place to prevent a postcode lottery of support?

A petition i cretade on the Scottish Government online portal, calling for statutory minimum standards for public participation was acknowledged as having merit, yet we were told there was no appetite within Government for legislative change. As evidence of systemic failings grows, that position must surely be reconsidered.

Funding Delays and Ongoing Financial Suffering

The Affordable Homes Support Programme is currently being treated as the primary mechanism for intervention. However, this approach is slow and fragmented.

For example, Clackmannanshire Council has submitted a request for funding support on 23rd January. Homeowners meanwhile continue to pay:

• Mortgage repayments

• Insurance premiums

• Rent on alternative accommodation

• Council tax on empty properties

Delays in decision-making are compounding financial distress. The current piecemeal process risks prolonging this crisis for years.

Where Supported Housing Improvement Programme (SHIP) allocations are exhausted, as is the case in West Lothian, housing associations such as Almond Housing Association are unable to secure the support needed to assist affected residents. Moreover, West Lothian Council has used it as an opportunity to ignore the plight of RAAC Homeowners entirely.

This structure creates inequality between local authority areas and leaves many feeling abandoned.

A Moment for Leadership

Thursday’s meeting at Atlantic Quay is more than another discussion. It is a test of whether the Scottish Government is prepared to demonstrate leadership, accept responsibility where appropriate, and work toward a coherent national response.

RAAC is not simply a housing issue. It is a consumer protection issue. It is a governance issue. And most importantly, it is a justice issue.

The families affected are not asking for special treatment — they are asking not to be financially ruined by a failure of construction standards and oversight.

Scotland now faces a choice: continue with a fragmented approach that prolongs uncertainty, or commit to bold, coordinated action that restores confidence and fairness.

Homeowners across the country will be watching closely.