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
For almost three years, families affected by the RAAC crisis in Tillicoultry have lived in limbo. Unable to return to their homes, many have continued paying mortgages, insurance premiums and other household costs while waiting for Clackmannanshire Council to reach decisions that would allow them to move on with their lives.
The latest correspondence from Clackmannanshire Council's Leader, Councillor Ellen Forson, has only deepened homeowners' frustration.
"Only Six Working Days"
In her email of 7 July 2026, Councillor Forson apologised if communication had "fallen short" of expectations before stating that only six working days had elapsed since she had acknowledged an email from fellow homeowner Fran.
Technically, this may be true if weekends are excluded.
However, it does not reflect the reality experienced by homeowners.
Fran first contacted Councillor Forson on 24 June and received an acknowledgement on 25 June. No substantive update was provided until 7 July—almost two weeks later.
More importantly, this issue did not begin in late June.
For months beforehand, every councillor had received correspondence outlining homeowners' concerns via Wilson Chowdhry, Chair of the UK RAAC Campaign Group and spokesperson for Tillicoultry RAAC Homeowners. Local media had also been copied into those communications to ensure there was a transparent public record of the issues being raised.
As spokesperson for the affected homeowners, Mr Chowdhry made it clear that councillors could contact me at any stage with updates or clarification. Despite this, no elected member provided any meaningful communication during the many months that followed the Housing Minister's meeting in November 2025.
When families have spent years waiting for answers, reducing their concerns to a calculation of "six working days" understandably feels dismissive.
A Timeline That Tells a Different Story
The Council's latest position also appears inconsistent with what homeowners have previously been told.
Councillor Forson stated that homeowners have had offers available for some time and that continued delays could jeopardise the planned remediation programme.
Yet this overlooks an important fact.
The Council itself suspended the original deadlines.
On 9 January 2026, after Wilson Chowdhry sought urgent clarification regarding the Council's stated deadline for accepting its offers, Andrew Buchanan, Interim Senior Manager for Housing, replied:
"Please consider the deadline as suspended with further information to follow as soon as we have it."
He explained that the Council was reviewing its offers while engaging with the Scottish Government following discussions with the Cabinet Secretary.
Homeowners accepted that explanation.
They waited.
Six months later, the promised update has still not materialised.
The Questions That Remain Unanswered
During this prolonged period of uncertainty, homeowners have continued waiting for several pieces of vital information.
These include:
- confirmation of revised purchase offers;
- confirmation of the VAT liability attached to remediation works—information homeowners have requested for well over a year;
- clarification regarding potential environmental retrofit funding mentioned by Council officers;
- details of any additional financial support the Council was considering.
Meanwhile, homeowners have continued paying mortgages, insurance and other unavoidable costs despite being unable to occupy their own properties.
Every additional month has imposed a further financial burden.
What Was Actually Discussed With the Scottish Government?
Perhaps the greatest source of frustration concerns expectations created following meetings with the Scottish Government.
There now appears to be a misunderstanding regarding the purpose of the funding secured under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.
Homeowners never believed this grant would be distributed directly to individual residents.
That was never the proposal.
Instead, discussions with the Housing Minister and later with officials from the Scottish Government's Better Homes Division centred on expediting funding for the Council's remediation programme.
The understanding communicated to homeowners was that once this funding had been secured, the Council would explore using its own resources to provide an additional fixed payment to affected homeowners, recognising the significant losses they had suffered.
Council officers repeatedly reinforced this expectation.
As recently as March 2026, homeowners were informed by senior officers that, depending on the level of Scottish Government funding secured, the Council was considering an additional fixed payment of between £10,000 and £15,000 per homeowner.
That was never presented as Scottish Government money.
It was discussed as a potential Council contribution made possible because Government funding would reduce the Council's own financial burden.
The Council's latest correspondence appears to abandon that position entirely.
Six More Months of Financial Hardship
The greatest injustice is not simply the lack of communication.
It is the financial impact of the delay.
Many homeowners have continued paying mortgages on homes they cannot live in.
They have maintained insurance policies, paid standing charges and absorbed countless other costs while waiting for the Council to conclude discussions that it repeatedly assured them were ongoing.
Those six additional months cannot be ignored.
Had the Council reached its decision sooner, homeowners could have made informed choices about their futures instead of continuing to shoulder substantial financial liabilities.
A Fair and Modest Request
Despite everything that has happened, homeowners are not asking for extraordinary compensation.
We continue to ask Clackmannanshire Council to consider providing a fixed payment of £5,000 to each affected homeowner.
For many families, this would simply clear the remaining balance on their mortgages.
More importantly, it would represent recognition that homeowners have carried the financial consequences of prolonged delays that were outside their control.
It would acknowledge the months spent waiting in good faith while the Council pursued discussions with the Scottish Government and considered its own options.
Looking Ahead
Councillor Forson has indicated that a meeting between homeowners, elected members and senior officers will now be arranged.
This meeting is overdue.
Homeowners deserve clear answers about why promised updates never arrived, why key financial information remains outstanding, why expectations regarding additional assistance have changed so dramatically, and how the Council intends to restore confidence after years of uncertainty.
Above all, they deserve honesty.
The RAAC crisis has never been solely about defective concrete.
It has become a test of whether public bodies will communicate openly, honour the expectations they create and recognise the human cost of prolonged uncertainty.
After years of waiting, the residents of Tillicoultry deserve nothing less.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chair of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, said:
"For almost three years, these homeowners have shown extraordinary patience and acted in good faith. They accepted repeated requests to wait while the Council negotiated with the Scottish Government and reviewed its options. During that time, they have continued paying mortgages, insurance and other unavoidable costs on homes they cannot safely occupy. It is deeply disappointing that, after six further months of uncertainty, they are now being told that the additional support they were led to believe was being explored has simply disappeared. These families are not asking for special treatment—they are asking for fairness, transparency and recognition of the financial hardship they have endured. A modest £5,000 payment would not erase their losses, but it would acknowledge the burden they have carried while waiting for decisions that were entirely outside their control. The Council now has an opportunity to rebuild trust by listening to homeowners, honouring the expectations it created and delivering a fair outcome for those who have waited 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