UK: The latest correspondence from Linstone Housing Associations has left Renfrewshire RAAC residents reeling. The letter, dated October 2025, confirms that tenders for remedial works to homes affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) will not begin until early 2026, with no financial support forthcoming from the Scottish Government. 

The document outlines two proposed options — both involving full or partial roof replacement — but the real shock lies in its closing paragraphs. It confirms what many homeowners feared: 

“The Scottish Government has confirmed that there will be no central funding available for Housing Associations or private property owners to support RAAC remediation works.” 

This devastating statement follows the decision by Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan MSP, announced at the RAAC in Housing Leadership Group meeting on 4 September 2025, to deny the creation of any national remedial fund for affected properties. Despite weeks of appeals from residents and campaigners, the Scottish Government remains unmoved — leaving families stranded with unsafe homes and no financial safety net.  Read more about this and watch video (here). 

Protest in Renfrewshire: A Cry for Justice 

In response to the government’s inaction, the first-ever RAAC protest in Renfrewshire took place outside the Renfrewshire Council offices on Saturday, 11 October 2025. Organised by the UK RAAC Campaign Group, the demonstration drew national attention thanks to STV News, which broadcast coverage filmed by Laura Perry for the 6pm bulletin.  

Read more and watch news feature (here) 

A small but determined group gathered to demand urgent government action, transparency, and fairness for the 329 households in Erskine and Linwood affected by RAAC construction defects. 
Speakers included Wilson Chowdhry, Hannah Chowdhry, and Jodie Hillcoat, who chairs the Renfrewshire RAAC Campaign Group. 

Despite the modest turnout, the event was a milestone — the first visible show of defiance from Scottish RAAC homeowners who have felt ignored and abandoned by both local and national authorities. 

“RAAC-affected families deserve honesty, support, and a seat at the table,” said Wilson Chowdhry. “The government must now show leadership and meet directly with those whose lives have been turned upside down by this crisis.” 

“People are living in constant fear and uncertainty,” added Jodie Hillcoat. “They don’t know if their homes are safe, what the future holds, or how they will cope if massive repair bills are passed on to them. It’s heartbreaking to see entire communities suffering while those in power refuse to listen or even meet with us.” 

Future protests are already being planned outside Bridgewater and Linstone Housing Associations, as campaigners continue to push for transparency and protection for affected homeowners. 

Government Denial: McAllan Confirms No National Fund 

During a Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee session in the Scottish Parliament, Mairi McAllan MSP reaffirmed the government’s stance: 

“RAAC is a product which, when maintained properly, can remain usable and safe… Public money simply cannot stretch to that scale. The position on funding in respect of RAAC is that it is a homeowners’ issue — essentially a matter of building maintenance.” 

She further stated: 

“There will be no RAAC pot of money from the Scottish Government. We simply do not have the flexibility to provide that.” 

This statement, delivered just weeks before the Renfrewshire protest, has deepened despair among homeowners. It not only dismisses the systemic nature of the crisis — caused by decades of public-sector construction policy — but also contradicts Scotland’s moral obligation to protect residents from structural hazards. 

To suggest RAAC is merely a “maintenance issue” is grossly misleading. Homeowners did not design or approve the use of this material; it was sanctioned, built, and later sold by councils and housing associations under Right to Buy schemes — often without any disclosure of structural risk. Now, these same institutions are demanding payment from residents to fix the damage their own predecessors created. 

Letter to Mairi McAllan Still Unanswered 

Following these troubling developments, I wrote directly to Cabinet Secretary Mairi McAllan, requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the plight of affected residents in Renfrewshire and beyond. 
As of today, no response has been received. 

This silence speaks volumes. While officials delay and debate, families continue living under failing roofs, uncertain whether their homes will survive another winter. The lack of engagement from the Cabinet Secretary demonstrates a profound disregard for transparency and compassion — values the Scottish Government claims to uphold. 

 

A Pattern of Evasion 

Ms McAllan’s insistence that the UK Government should bear responsibility for RAAC funding — citing limited “flexibility” in Scotland’s budget — is equally troubling. As the UK RAAC Campaign Group has repeatedly stated, housing safety is a devolved issue, and the Scottish Government holds both the authority and the financial means to intervene. 

Indeed, Samantha Dixon MBE MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy, confirmed in a letter dated 8 October 2025 that: 

“The Scottish Government is receiving the largest real-terms funding settlement since devolution, including £510 million in capital expenditure to deliver priorities such as the NHS, education, transport and housing.” 

This point was reinforced once again in a letter received yesterday (5 November 2025) from The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Scotland, responding to my earlier correspondence on the growing RAAC crisis. Mr Alexander acknowledged the severity of the situation and the distress facing Scottish homeowners, but made clear where the responsibility lies. He wrote: 

“The powers of the UK Government to act in this case unfortunately are limited, given that housing is an issue devolved to the Scottish Government. The Barnett Formula ensures that any additional funding allocated in England for specific purposes, such as the repair of buildings affected by RAAC, will result in consequential funding for the Scottish Government. 
"The Scottish Government received a record £50bn funding settlement at the Autumn Budget, and we would expect the Scottish Government to allocate the necessary resources to address the concerns of those affected by RAAC — as will the people of Scotland.” 

Mr Alexander’s letter leaves no ambiguity: the Scottish Government has both the funding and the responsibility to act. His statement underscores that if Westminster creates new funding in England for RAAC repairs, Scotland automatically receives its share through the Barnett Formula — yet the Scottish Government has so far refused to use this flexibility to support affected homeowners. 

This persistent deflection of duty between Holyrood and Westminster serves only to prolong the suffering of families whose lives have been upended by structural defects they did not cause. It is time for Mairi McAllan and the Scottish Government to stop passing the buck, recognise their devolved responsibility, and deliver real financial relief to those in need.A Call for Accountability and a Public Inquiry 

A Call for Accountability and a Public Inquiry 

The UK RAAC Campaign Group has compiled a comprehensive dossier of evidence showing decades of regulatory failure, political influence, and industrial lobbying that enabled RAAC’s widespread use in housing. Councils and government departments knew of its vulnerabilities but continued to sanction its use and sell affected homes to unsuspecting buyers. 

We are now formally calling for a statutory Public Inquiry into: 

Historical government and industry collusion promoting RAAC and Siporex systems; 

Regulatory oversight failures; 

The sale of RAAC homes under Right to Buy without disclosure; and 

The human impact of displacement, financial ruin, and emotional distress. 

Until these questions are answered and a national remediation fund is established, Scotland’s RAAC homeowners remain victims of systemic negligence. 

Conclusion 

Bridgewater and Linstone’s latest letter confirms what many feared — the government intends to press ahead with remedial work planning without funding, without consultation, and without accountability. 

Homeowners are being left to shoulder the cost of a national construction failure. 

It is time for the Scottish Government to listen, meet affected families, and commit to fair and funded solutions. 

Until that happens, campaigners across Scotland — from Renfrewshire to Clackmannanshire, Stirling, and Aberdeen — will continue to protest, petition, and speak out. 

The message is clear: RAAC homeowners will not be silenced.