11-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Reprieve for Scots RAAC campaigners seeking justice
A public petition by the group earlier this year garnered just 7,655 signatures, less than the 10,000 required for a government response.
But it has been confirmed that they will have another chance to enlist public support for their cause. This time, campaigners hope to reach 100,000 signatures, which would spark a parliamentary debate.
'We were down but not out,' said Wilson Chowdhry, the group's chairman. 'This scandal is too big, too devastating, and too cruel to be ignored.
'The government has now given us a second chance to make our voices heard. We will not stop until homeowners get the justice, financial support, and recognition they deserve.
RAAC, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, was used in thousands of public buildings across the UK between the 1960s and 1990s.
Houses in Tillicoultry were evacuated after being found to contain the material. (Image: Scott Barron) Now, those who own properties containing the brittle material, which resembles the composition of an Aero Bar, have been left scrambling for answers.
Chowdry told The Herald last month: 'Over the years, each council that has renovated roofs containing RAAC has said repairs were due to insulation, not structural integrity. Yet, it was known this material was dangerous.'
'Anyone who has lost their home due to safety defects must be awarded first time home buyer status,' the campaigner added. 'They should also be able to renegotiate the terms of their mortgage. Some will have to pay off a 30 year mortgage for a pile of rubble.
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'The government bailed out the banks using taxpayer money and now we want the banks to bail out the people.'
The new petition, which has been signed 341 times in two days, reads: 'We are concerned that many families across the UK face homelessness, bankruptcy, and trauma after being forced from homes made unsafe by RAAC.
'These homeowners did nothing wrong — yet are left to shoulder the burden of institutional failure and unsafe construction practices.'
