Below is our open letter to the Welsh Government, urgently requesting financial support for elderly homeowners living in RAAC-affected properties. These vulnerable residents have been overlooked, while politicians deflect responsibility by citing an inadequate and inapplicable grant scheme offered by the local council.
If you are a Welsh resident, please show your support by signing our petition to the Welsh Government: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246606
OPEN LETTER
To:
Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS
First Minister for Wales
Welsh Government
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF99 1NA
Rt
Hon Jayne Bryant MS
Minister for Housing
Welsh Government
Cardiff Bay
Re: RAAC-Affected
Homes in Hirwaun – Inaccuracies in Welsh Government Letter Dated 22 April 2025
Dear
First Minister and Minister for Housing,
I am
writing this open letter in response to a letter received by Lesley Lewis,
leader of the CYMRU RAAC Campaign Group, from Mr. Richard Baker, Deputy
Director of the Place Division at Welsh Government, dated 22 April 2025 (click here). The
letter sought to address the deeply concerning issue of Reinforced Autoclaved
Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in homes at the Gower Estate in Hirwaun.
As
Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, I appreciate the Welsh Government’s
engagement on this critical matter and its recognition of the emotional and
financial burden RAAC has placed on residents. However, it is important to
correct several inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the original response
that risk obscuring the reality faced by affected homeowners.
1.
Grants Are Inaccessible to Private Landlords
The
letter references grant schemes intended to assist owner-occupiers, yet private
landlords — who are equally responsible for homes with RAAC and whose tenants
are directly impacted — are completely excluded from these schemes. These
landlords have no access to support, despite the urgency of repairs required
for tenant safety.
2.
Most Homeowners Are Disqualified by Restrictive Criteria
The
eligibility conditions for Maintenance Repair Assistance and Renovation Grant
Assistance — as outlined in the annex to Mr. Baker’s letter — are so
restrictive that they exclude the vast majority of RAAC-affected homeowners at
the Gower Estate. Reasons for ineligibility include:
- Not receiving the specific benefits required;
- Not meeting the five-year occupancy threshold;
- Exceeding equity or savings thresholds.
To
demonstrate the real-world impact of these criteria, the CYMRU RAAC Campaign
Group conducted a local survey. The results are revealing: out of 10
respondents, only 2 homeowners potentially qualify for any grant assistance.
Summary
of Survey Results:
|
Date |
5+
Years in Home |
Benefits
Received |
Likely
Eligible |
|
14/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
|
14/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
|
14/05/2025 |
Yes |
Council
Tax Reduction, UC |
✅ |
|
14/05/2025 |
No |
None |
❌ |
|
14/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
|
14/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
|
14/05/2025 |
Yes |
Pension
Credit Guarantee |
✅ |
|
15/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
|
16/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
|
21/05/2025 |
Yes |
None |
❌ |
This
evidence underscores that while grant schemes may exist on paper, they fail to
address the needs of real residents who are living in unsafe and deteriorating
conditions.
3.
Urgent Need for Tailored Government Support
Given
the gravity and urgency of the RAAC crisis, we call on the Welsh Government to
take the following actions:
- Establish a dedicated financial support scheme
for RAAC-affected private homeowners and landlords;
- Broaden existing eligibility criteria to reflect
the urgent structural risks, not just means-tested poverty;
- Introduce interest-free loans or remediation
grants regardless of benefit status;
- Coordinate with the UK Government and other
devolved nations to build a UK-wide RAAC housing response strategy.
The
grant criteria, as outlined in Mr. Baker’s letter, may appear reasonable in
policy terms, but they fail catastrophically in practice. The vast majority of
residents at the Gower Estate are elderly and extremely vulnerable, many of
whom are already experiencing heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and
isolation as a direct result of the deteriorating state of their homes and the
uncertainty surrounding their futures. These are individuals who have worked
their entire lives, only to find themselves trapped in unsafe housing and
excluded from support mechanisms intended to protect them.
In
addition, every private landlord and homeowner on the estate purchased these
ex-council properties in good faith, completely unaware that RAAC had been used
in the roof construction — a decision made as a cost-saving measure during
their original build. This critical information was never disclosed during the
sale of the properties. Despite the existence of early warnings about RAAC as
far back as 1996, and some reports indicating concerns arose even during the
construction phase, no effective action was taken to flag these properties as
high risk, leaving successive buyers exposed to life-changing financial and
structural risks through no fault of their own.
It is
also important to highlight that the Gower Estate is located in one of the most
deprived areas in Wales, as identified by the national Indices of Multiple
Deprivation. Residents here already face severe disadvantages in terms of
health outcomes, household income, and access to essential services. The sudden
and overwhelming financial burden now placed on them — whether for essential
structural surveys, emergency accommodation, or full-scale roof remediation —
is entirely unaffordable for most. Without urgent intervention, this crisis
threatens to push many families and pensioners into bankruptcy or homelessness.
The weight of this burden is not just financial but deeply personal, with
individuals facing the devastating prospect of losing homes they have lived in
for decades, in communities they helped to build and sustain.
We
respectfully request a meeting with the Welsh Government to discuss a pathway
to more inclusive, practical and compassionate support, and would welcome the participation
of members of both the UK RAAC Campaign Group and the CYMRU RAAC Campaign
Group.
Sincerely,
Wilson Chowdhry
Chairman, UK RAAC Campaign Group
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