Support our campaign crowdfund (click here) Or donate direct to the UK RAAC Campaign Group using these details: SC: 20-29-24 ACCT No: 03355349
The UK RAAC Campaign Group has today written an open letter to Councillor Ellen Forson, Leader of Clackmannanshire Council, calling for urgent action to improve communication with homeowners affected by the Tillicoultry RAAC crisis.
The letter follows a collective email sent by homeowners to every councillor on 24 June requesting an update after Scottish Government funding was confirmed for the council's voluntary acquisition programme.
Only two councillors responded.
Councillor Ellen Forson replied the following day, stating:
"I have asked Kevin for an update and will be happy to meet once I get that."
Almost two weeks later, homeowners say no further update has been provided.
Campaigners argue that this continuing silence is unacceptable given that families have now spent almost three years living with the consequences of the RAAC crisis.
Many continue paying mortgages and insurance on homes they cannot occupy. Others have sold properties at values substantially affected by the presence of RAAC. Almost every family has experienced prolonged uncertainty, financial hardship and significant emotional distress while waiting for decisions that will determine their future.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chair of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, said the lack of communication has now reached the point where even the Leader of the Council appears unable to obtain timely information from senior officers.
"If the Leader of the Council cannot obtain an update within two weeks, what hope do ordinary residents have?" he asked.
"The issue is no longer simply about delays. It is about accountability. Homeowners deserve timely information about decisions that affect their homes, finances and futures."
The letter asks Councillor Forson to intervene personally to arrange an urgent meeting between homeowners, council officers and elected members.
It also seeks clarification on what standards of communication residents should reasonably expect from the council and asks why repeated requests for updates from homeowners, campaigners and elected members have gone unanswered.
Beyond the immediate RAAC crisis, the letter raises wider concerns about public participation in local democracy.
Campaigners argue that Clackmannanshire Council provides fewer opportunities for residents to engage directly with elected members than many other Scottish councils. Unlike authorities such as Aberdeen City Council and West Lothian Council, members of the public cannot present deputations or ask questions directly at council meetings. The council's petition process has also been criticised as overly procedural, making it difficult for residents to raise issues of public concern.
Mr Chowdhry believes those arrangements have contributed to homeowners feeling excluded from decisions that have fundamentally affected their lives.
The open letter therefore calls on the Council Leader to review the authority's public participation procedures and consider reforms that would bring Clackmannanshire more closely into line with councils offering greater transparency and public engagement.
"Good local government depends upon openness," Mr Chowdhry said.
"A healthy democracy depends on challenge and scrutiny. Where residents are denied meaningful opportunities to question decisions or present their case directly to elected members, accountability inevitably suffers. The RAAC crisis has shown how limited public participation can leave communities feeling powerless while life-changing decisions are taken without the benefit of those who know the issues best. That is not how local democracy should work."
The letter has been copied to all Clackmannanshire councillors and to the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing in the hope that renewed attention will help bring homeowners the answers they have sought for far too long.
The RAAC crisis is not just about concrete—it is about accountability.
And we are far from finished.
📧 Email: wilson@aasecurity.co.uk
📢 Twitter/X: https://x.com/WilsonChowdhry
#RAACScandal #Petition2113 #ScottishParliament #SupportRAACVictims #EndTheSilence
No comments:
Post a Comment