UK: After weeks of pressure from RAAC-affected homeowners, their MPs and councillors, and the UK RAAC Campaign Group, Clackmannanshire Council has finally proposed a date for the long-promised meeting with residents. Homeowners have unanimously chosen 3 September — but say they should never have been forced to wait this long.

RAAC-affected homeowners in Tillicoultry have finally secured a date for the meeting they have been repeatedly requesting with senior representatives of Clackmannanshire Council.

The Council has proposed two possible dates at Kilncraigs, Alloa:

Thursday 3 September, 12 noon–2pm

Thursday 17 September, 12 noon–2pm

Following consultation with the affected homeowners, 3 September has been selected as the preferred date, with residents unanimously expressing the view that waiting any longer would be unacceptable.

The meeting comes after a sustained campaign led by Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, who challenged homeowners to contact the Council daily to request a meeting, encouraged them to ask their current MPs and councillors to press the Council for action, and personally wrote several times to both Clackmannanshire Council and the Scottish Government demanding that homeowners be given the opportunity to meet those responsible for decisions affecting their homes.

The campaign has now produced a result.

But for homeowners who have already endured years of uncertainty, financial pressure and unanswered questions, the fact that they are still being asked to wait almost another month for a meeting has caused considerable frustration.

A meeting promised — then delayed

The proposed meeting follows a commitment made by Council Leader Councillor Ellen Forson after campaigners challenged the Council over its handling of the RAAC crisis.

Councillor Forson had previously indicated that she believed it would be more constructive to bring homeowners together rather than continue an exchange of correspondence, saying that residents should be given a full update and the opportunity to ask questions directly.

However, despite that commitment, no meeting date was confirmed for several weeks.

During that period, homeowners were instead confronted with further financial correspondence from the Council.

On 23 July, residents received letters stating that, following what the Council described as a “thorough review and exploration of all available funding options”, it was unable to provide additional financial assistance towards the purchase of their properties.

This was particularly frustrating because homeowners had spent months waiting while discussions surrounding Scottish Government funding and possible additional assistance continued.

The correspondence also produced further concerns about the figures being offered to individual homeowners.

Some offers appeared to differ substantially from previous figures, with one homeowner reportedly receiving an offer more than £13,500 higher than their original offer, while another received an offer £5,000 lower.

The apparent inconsistencies have left homeowners seeking a clear explanation of how the figures have been calculated.

Homeowners have already waited long enough

Against this background, the Council's offer of a meeting in September has been welcomed — but the timing has also caused significant frustration.

After speaking directly with the affected homeowners, Mr Chowdhry asked the Council to confirm 3 September, rather than allowing the matter to drift towards the later proposed date of 17 September.

Residents made clear that they could not accept another unnecessary delay.

These are families who have already spent years dealing with the consequences of RAAC.

They have faced uncertainty over their homes, disputed valuations, mortgage and insurance costs and difficult decisions about whether to sell or remain in properties affected by the crisis.

For some homeowners, the financial consequences have been particularly serious.

The emotional impact has also been considerable.

Behind every valuation and every offer is a family attempting to make decisions about their future while dealing with a problem they did not create.

Questions remain unanswered

The forthcoming meeting must address the questions that homeowners have repeatedly raised.

These include the substantial differences between previous and current offers, the basis upon which valuations have been calculated and concerns surrounding properties where homeowners believe their original valuations were incorrectly reduced.

Homeowners also remain concerned about the information provided regarding remediation costs, including the treatment of VAT.

Previous Council correspondence has referred to an estimated remediation cost of £34,689 excluding VAT in relation to a property, yet homeowners have been seeking clearer information about the actual VAT implications for their individual circumstances.

Questions have also remained regarding potential environmental retrofit grants previously discussed with homeowners and whether such funding could affect the overall financial position of affected properties.

These are not minor technical matters.

They can materially affect whether a homeowner believes an offer represents a fair settlement or whether they should consider remaining within a remediation programme.

The Council's position has repeatedly shifted

Homeowners have also endured a changing landscape throughout the RAAC crisis.

The proposed approach has evolved from discussions around demolition to remediation, followed by discussions concerning Scottish Government funding and potential additional assistance.

Residents were repeatedly asked to wait while these matters were explored.

Now, after months of waiting, they have been told that no additional financial assistance is available.

At the same time, homeowners have been presented with changing offers and warned that remediation costs cannot remain fixed indefinitely.

This has inevitably raised a fundamental question:

If homeowners were asked to wait while funding and financial options were explored, what was achieved during that additional period of uncertainty?

The forthcoming meeting provides the Council with an opportunity to answer that question directly.

Campaign pressure secures progress

The UK RAAC Campaign Group believes that direct engagement between homeowners and senior decision-makers is essential.

Mr Chowdhry's campaign called on affected homeowners to maintain pressure by contacting the Council regularly, while also asking their elected representatives to intervene.

The campaign also involved direct correspondence with the Council and Scottish Government.

The objective was straightforward: to ensure that homeowners were not left dealing indefinitely with written correspondence while major decisions affecting their homes and finances were being made.

The eventual offer of a meeting represents an important step.

But campaigners believe the meeting must now deliver more than another update.

Wilson Chowdhry: “Homeowners should never have had to fight this hard to be heard”

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, said:

“I welcome the Council finally putting dates on the table, but it is deeply disappointing that homeowners have had to campaign so persistently simply to secure a meeting they were already promised.

“I have spoken with all of the affected homeowners, and there was a unanimous view that they could not accept any further unnecessary delay. The 3rd September was therefore the clear choice. Even so, residents are still being asked to wait almost another month for a meeting they have been requesting for some time.

“These families have already waited years. They have lived with the uncertainty of RAAC, disputed property valuations, changing offers and significant financial costs, including mortgages, insurance and other expenses. They have been repeatedly asked to be patient while funding and other options were explored.

“Then, before the promised meeting had even been arranged, homeowners received what appeared to be final financial positions from the Council. Some of the latest offers also appear to differ substantially from previous figures, including one homeowner being offered more than £13,500 above their original offer while another has seen an offer reduced by £5,000.

“When figures change by thousands of pounds, homeowners are entitled to understand why. They deserve transparency about how valuations have been calculated, what funding options were explored, what happened to proposals for additional assistance and how issues such as VAT and potential environmental grants have been taken into account.

“The emotional impact of this process must not be underestimated. These homeowners did not choose to have RAAC in their properties and they did not choose to spend years living with uncertainty over their homes and financial futures.

“We do not want confrontation. We want a constructive meeting where homeowners can finally receive clear answers directly from those responsible for making these decisions.

“The 3rd September must therefore be more than another meeting where concerns are recorded and residents are asked to wait again. Homeowners need answers, transparency and a clear path towards a fair resolution.

“They have waited long enough.”

What happens next?

The Council has been asked to confirm Thursday 3 September as the meeting date.

The confirmed attendees are expected to include:

Cllr Ellen Forson, Leader of Clackmannanshire Council

Cllr Jane McTaggart, Depute Spokesperson: Place & Economy (Housing)

Kevin Wells, Director: Place & Economy

Caroline Rodgers, Head of Housing: Place & Economy

Sandy MacKintosh, Team Leader: Housing

Marie Komorowska, Team Leader: Housing

Their attendance gives homeowners an opportunity to raise their concerns directly with both elected members and senior officers.

The UK RAAC Campaign Group will continue to support the affected homeowners and ensure that their concerns are clearly presented.

Securing the meeting is an important step — but it is only a first step.

After years of uncertainty, homeowners need the Council to listen carefully, answer the outstanding questions and demonstrate through its actions that the families affected by RAAC are finally being treated with the fairness, transparency and dignity .