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On 12th May 2025, Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, delivered a powerful deputation to Dundee City Council’s Neighbourhood Regeneration, Housing & Estate Management Committee (NRHEMC). Representing both council tenants and private homeowners affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), Mr Chowdhry urged councillors to take meaningful, immediate action to address this escalating housing crisis. Read full transcript of Mr Chowdhry's deputation (here)
For months, Mr Chowdhry had been requesting to speak on behalf of affected residents, but was repeatedly denied on the grounds that RAAC was not on the committee’s agenda. Only after consistent pressure since October 2024 was the issue finally tabled, allowing him to speak directly to the committee.
Summary of Key Requests Made to the Committee:
In his deputation, Mr Chowdhry presented a detailed account of the struggles faced by residents, including:
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RAAC Must Be Recognised as a Housing Crisis
Councillors were asked to formally acknowledge RAAC in private homes as a critical housing emergency, and to keep it on the committee’s agenda for ongoing action. -
Urgent Commitment to Transparent Surveys
The Council was urged to ensure all suspected RAAC properties undergo expert-led surveys, fully compliant with Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) guidance—not simply visual inspections. -
Immediate Financial Relief via the Scheme of Assistance
Mr Chowdhry highlighted existing legislative tools that could be deployed now, such as grants, missed share options, and sundry debt recovery loans, especially for low-income owners in blocks with shared roofs. -
Clarification on Grants and Support Schemes
Residents need clear communication regarding whether any Council-administered grants or financial support are available. Conflicting statements by councillors and officers are adding to residents' confusion and despair. -
Advocacy for a National Remediation Fund
Dundee City Council was asked to take a leadership role in lobbying the Scottish Government—or UK Government—for a national remediation fund that includes private homes, not just public buildings. -
Ongoing Access to Councillors and Deputations
Residents must not be silenced. Mr Chowdhry called for permanent, unbureaucratic channels for deputations and communication between RAAC homeowners and local councillors.
A Deafening Silence: No Answers, No Accountability
Despite the urgency of the matter and the detailed nature of the deputation, councillors offered no response—neither during nor after the meeting—to any of the questions raised. This silence was deeply concerning.
Mr. Chowdhry posed a series of clear and vital questions, none of which have received a response:
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Will the Council commit to covering the full cost of relocation for affected tenants?
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Why are residents receiving contradictory information about financial assistance?
Ray Low, the Council’s Housing Asset Service Manager, stated in writing that Dundee City Council offers grants of up to 40% for RAAC-related works. Yet, in a conversation with a local resident, Councillor Kevin Keenan directly contradicted this, claiming no such grant system exists. Which is correct? -
Has the Council engaged with mortgage providers and insurers to determine whether the proposed support-deck solutions will restore mortgage eligibility and insurance coverage?
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Will Dundee City Council commit to full structural surveys in line with the Institution of Structural Engineers' guidance—including deflection measurement, crack logging, and hammer testing—rather than relying solely on visual inspections?
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Will RAAC panels be fully replaced, rather than propped up with temporary support measures?
While such interim fixes may reduce the time flats remain vacant—clearly in the Council’s interest—they come at a similar cost to full replacement, yet offer no long-term restoration of mortgageability, insurance coverage, or property value. -
What concrete steps will the Council take to help homeowners recover their property’s value, secure insurance, and access mortgages once again?
These are fundamental questions affecting the financial and emotional security of hundreds of households. To date, not a single one has been answered.
None of these questions were addressed.
Misrepresentation and Missed Opportunities
Worse still, some councillors later made erroneous public remarks.
During the meeting, Mr Chowdhry strongly criticised the Council’s preference for a support-deck solution—installing a structural deck beneath existing RAAC panels. He warned that this approach may fail to satisfy mortgage lenders or insurance providers and questioned whether the Council had taken any steps to confirm its acceptability with these key stakeholders. He cited the troubling response a local resident received from Ray Low, Housing Asset Service Manager, who dismissed the concern, stating: “I would also be interested to see the statement from NatWest stating that a mortgage would not be offered on a property with a support deck below a RAAC roof, as I can find no evidence of this online.”
Rather than investigating the issue, Mr Low deflected responsibility back onto already distressed homeowners—exemplifying a worrying lack of due diligence and support from the Council on a matter of critical financial impact.
Mr Chowdhry explained that homeowners remain unconvinced that such measures will restore property value, mortgage eligibility, or insurance coverage. As many have described it, the support-deck solution is little more than a wasteful sticking plaster.
When this concern was raised, Cllr Flynn deflected by requesting a technical opinion from a council officer—an apparent attempt to sidestep the core issue. The officer responded, “IStructE guidance provides various forms of remediation. A full structural deck supporting structure is one of them.” This reply focused narrowly on technical acceptability, entirely ignoring the financial consequences for affected homeowners. It offered no insight into how the Council would address mortgage ineligibility, insurance refusal, or collapsing property values.
That Cllr Flynn accepted this superficial answer without challenge underscored a deeper problem: a bureaucratic indifference and growing disconnect between councillors, council officers, and the very communities they are supposed to support.
Cllr Keenan entirely overlooked the fact that a council officer had misled RAAC-affected homeowners into believing they were eligible for grants covering up to 40% of remedial works. Instead of addressing this serious misinformation, he targeted Mr Chowdhry—who had simply requested clarity and condemned the confusion within the Council. Shockingly, Cllr Keenan even laughed as he described how residents had approached him about grant funding following Mr Ray Low’s misleading email, while dismissively asserting that no such grants existed. In a condescending tone, he added that he “hoped Mr Chowdhry was listening,” despite the fact that Mr Chowdhry had already publicly acknowledged that no grant scheme was currently in place.
Cllr Keenan went on to assert that writing to the Housing Minister would be “a chance to help everybody affected in this city,” despite being fully aware that similar letters in the past have been ignored. Notably, he failed to propose writing to the UK Government—a glaring omission, given that Mr Chowdhry has consistently called for both the Scottish and UK Governments to be held accountable. Even Cllr Flynn, who seconded the motion, acknowledged Mr Chowdhry’s stance on the need to pressure both administrations.
While the Convener ultimately agreed to request a meeting with the Housing Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, the motion in its entirety was not passed—undermined by the failure to include the UK Government in the Council’s advocacy efforts.
Had councillors simply asked Mr Chowdhry a question during the meeting, these misunderstandings could have been cleared up on the spot. The refusal to engage with a speaker offering both data and workable solutions is not just disappointing—it is a failure of public duty.
Late to the Table—But Still Welcome
Following the meeting, a motion was finally put forward for the Council t to request a meeting with the Housing Minister Paul Mclennan MSPand the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison MSP to discuss the RAAC crises. While this step is welcome, it is long overdue.
Mr Chowdhry had already prompted similar actions from Aberdeen City Council back in November 2023. Most other Scottish councils made such representations over a year ago. Dundee is trailing behind, despite being home to hundreds of RAAC-affected properties.
That the Council has only now agreed to make this representation—after months of emails and ignored offers of assistance including Mr Chowdhry drafting and sharing a motion—is an indictment of its sluggish response. No credit has been given to Mr Chowdhry or the campaigners who persistently raised this issue, but the shift is a small victory for residents nonetheless.
Conclusion
The crisis caused by RAAC in Dundee’s private housing is urgent and growing. Affected homeowners are trapped in unsafe homes with no financial support, no clear communication, and no path forward. The deputation delivered on 12th May laid out a clear roadmap for action—but councillors failed to engage, failed to answer, and failed to lead.
As Dundee belatedly joins other councils in advocating for national funding, we must hope that this is the beginning—not the end—of serious action. But residents should not have to beg for attention. They deserve answers. They deserve support. And they deserve better.
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On 5th March 2025, a draft motion was submitted to all Dundee City Councillors by Mr Chowdhry, along with a request for it to be added to the agenda of a Full Council meeting. Despite the urgency and seriousness of the issue, not a single councillor responded:
- Undertake a comprehensive audit of all council-owned buildings to identify the presence of RAAC, prioritizing residential properties and public buildings such as schools and community centers.
- Develop and publish a clear action plan with timelines for inspecting and, where necessary, repairing or replacing RAAC in council properties, ensuring transparency and accountability.
- Establish a dedicated RAAC support fund to assist affected tenants and homeowners, providing advice, temporary accommodation where necessary, and financial aid for emergency repairs.
- Engage with the Scottish Government and UK Government to secure additional funding to address the financial implications of RAAC remediation.
- Facilitate ongoing communication with residents through regular updates, dedicated points of contact, and opportunities for public participation in decision-making processes.