UK: The UK RAAC Campaign Group has continued to press the Scottish Government for meaningful action on the serious problems facing households living in properties affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

Following our meeting with Scottish Government officials on 19 February 2026, I have now received a substantive written response to correspondence I sent in June and July concerning RAAC-affected households, including residents in Clackmannanshire.

While the response provides some useful clarification, it also confirms that many of the fundamental concerns raised by affected homeowners remain unresolved.

No dedicated Scottish RAAC remediation fund

One of the most important issues remains the absence of a dedicated Scottish Government fund for the remediation of RAAC-affected homes.

The Scottish Government has clarified that it has no dedicated funding for RAAC remediation, citing fiscal challenges. Instead, it continues to call on the UK Government to establish a national RAAC remediation fund.

The Scottish Government has also stated that it will consider flexibilities within existing funding arrangements for local authorities with RAAC-affected properties.

This distinction is extremely important for affected families.

Residents cannot simply wait indefinitely while responsibility for funding is passed between governments and local authorities. RAAC is a structural issue affecting the safety, value and marketability of homes, and families need a clear route towards permanent remediation.

The Campaign Group will therefore continue to press for a properly funded national solution.

Local authorities must communicate with affected residents

The Scottish Government's response also acknowledges concerns about communication between local authorities and RAAC-affected residents.

In relation to Clackmannanshire, officials stated that residents had reported that information had not been shared in a timely manner. The Scottish Government reiterated that local authorities must engage with RAAC-affected residents regularly, keep them properly informed and provide clear and timely information appropriate to individual circumstances.

This is a welcome statement of principle.

However, affected homeowners need to see these principles translated into consistent action on the ground.

At our February meeting, the Campaign Group had already raised concerns about engagement with homeowners and tenants. Scottish Government officials said that local authorities were expected to maintain good, person-centred communication with households affected by RAAC.

The Campaign Group will continue to monitor whether this commitment is being delivered.

What happens to homeowners trapped by RAAC?

One of the most serious consequences of the RAAC crisis is the financial trap in which many homeowners now find themselves.

For homeowners living in RAAC-affected properties, the problem is not simply the cost and disruption of remediation. Their homes can become extremely difficult to sell, remortgage or move away from, leaving families effectively trapped in properties through no fault of their own.

The UK RAAC Campaign Group has therefore been calling for practical legislative and financial measures to help affected homeowners. These include restoring first-time buyer status for people who have been forced to remain owners of RAAC-affected properties, as well as addressing the mortgage difficulties faced by those whose homes are affected.

These are not new requests.

We raised these issues with the Scottish Government previously, and the former Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan, indicated that she would seek changes through the UK Government. Yet there has been no evidence of those promised changes being secured, and the fundamental problems facing RAAC homeowners remain.

At our meeting with Scottish Government officials in February, we raised the issues again. Officials acknowledged that the relevant legislation is reserved to the UK Government and said that the Campaign Group's position would be relayed to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing.

But simply explaining that the powers are reserved is not enough.

We already know that.

The issue is whether the Scottish Government is prepared to use its influence to secure meaningful change from the UK Government.

The latest response provides information about the Scottish Government's First Homes Fund, which offers eligible first-time buyers a £10,000 contribution towards a deposit on properties valued up to £300,000. However, the response confirms that first-time buyer status is determined according to the UK Government definition: a person must not currently own, or have previously owned, a property anywhere in the world.

This exposes the particular injustice faced by some RAAC-affected homeowners.

A person who owns a defective or severely compromised RAAC-affected property is still treated as a homeowner. They cannot simply abandon that property in order to become a first-time buyer again. Yet they may be unable to sell it on the normal housing market or obtain the finance required to move forward with their lives.

The Government must recognise that RAAC homeowners are in an exceptional position.

They did not choose to purchase homes containing RAAC. They did not cause the structural problems affecting their properties. And they should not be financially penalised for being trapped by circumstances beyond their control.

The Campaign Group will therefore continue to press both the Scottish and UK Governments for a specific and workable solution.

We do not need another acknowledgement that the powers are reserved to Westminster.

We need the Scottish Government to demonstrate what action it has taken with the UK Government — and what it intends to do next.

Innovative remediation solutions

The Campaign Group has also sought consideration of innovative approaches to RAAC remediation.

At the February meeting, we specifically asked Scottish Government officials to consider solutions including ReGrid. Officials agreed to raise this with Building Standards colleagues.

The subsequent response confirms that the Building Standards Division has considered the Campaign Group's suggestion of innovative products.

However, its advice is that building owners should seek professional advice from qualified surveyors and engineers, with organisations such as the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Institution of Structural Engineers being best placed to advise on the appropriate use of particular remediation methods or products.

Professional advice is clearly essential. But we also need to ensure that potentially viable remediation technologies are properly investigated rather than families being left with uncertainty about what solutions may be available.

The question of accountability

The Campaign Group has previously raised concerns about evidence suggesting that problems associated with RAAC may have been known before the current crisis emerged.

At our February meeting, we asked whether a criminal investigation should be pursued. Scottish Government officials responded that any criminal investigation would be a matter for Police Scotland, although the Scottish Government would have an interest should an investigation take place.

For affected families, questions of accountability remain important.

People who have seen the value and usability of their homes compromised through no fault of their own deserve transparency about how this situation arose, whether warnings were missed and who ultimately bears responsibility.

Public participation and the wider democratic question

The Campaign Group also raised the issue of public participation, including the Scottish Parliament petition PE2198.

The Scottish Government has now confirmed that there is no further action officials can take because the petition has been fully considered and closed by the relevant committee.

Nevertheless, the Government's wider response emphasises the importance it places on participation, openness, accountability and ensuring that people are properly heard in decisions affecting their communities.

These principles should be particularly relevant to communities dealing with RAAC.

Affected residents should not merely be recipients of decisions. They should be properly involved in discussions about remediation, funding, communications and the future of their homes.

A long road still ahead

The February meeting demonstrated that the Scottish Government is engaging with the Campaign Group and has taken forward a number of the actions agreed at that meeting. The subsequent correspondence confirms that officials have reported back on structural-defect legislation, innovative remediation products and the parliamentary petition, while the Campaign Group's position on legislative reform was also relayed to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing.

That engagement is welcome.

But engagement alone will not resolve the RAAC crisis.

Families need funding, practical remediation solutions, fair financial treatment, effective communication and accountability.

The Scottish Government has made clear that it wants the UK Government to establish a national RAAC remediation fund. The UK RAAC Campaign Group will continue to press for this alongside our wider campaign for justice for those whose homes have been affected.

RAAC homeowners did not create this crisis.

They should not be expected to carry its financial and emotional burden indefinitely.

As Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, I will continue to raise the concerns of affected homeowners and tenants and to seek practical solutions that place the interests and wellbeing of those families at the centre of the response.