Calls have been made for a national inquiry into crumbling concrete – and national funding to solve the crisis.
Deans South campaigner Kerry Macintosh met with Aberdeen campaigners Hannah and Wilson Chowdhry this week, and said “we stand together”.
Home-owners affected by RAAC in West Lothian plan to meet in coming weeks ahead of a protest at the Civic Centre in Livingston.
Kerry has backed calls by Hannah Chowdhry to the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to set up a national fund to help home-owners.
Hannah and her father Wilson met with Kerry and home-owners from Craigshill and Bathgate in Livingston on Wednesday evening.
It came the day before the Chowdhrys led a protest march in Aberdeen of more than 100 home-owners affected by RAAC in the city.
In her letter to Michael Gove, Hannah said: “The burden placed on home-owners to bear the costs of inspections and potential repairs is not only unjust but also unsustainable.”
And she added: “Beyond mere statistics and budgetary constraints lie families, homes, and futures hanging precariously in the balance. We cannot allow bureaucratic red tape and political wrangling to obstruct us from taking decisive action and doing what is morally right.
“Lives are in jeopardy, and struggling families are already grappling to make ends meet, burdened with tens of thousands in expenses to ensure their safety.
“Initiate a thorough public inquiry into the practices of local councils that precipitated the current RAAC crises.
“I urge you to remember that every policy decision and budgetary allocation directly impacts real people whose lives are profoundly affected. To turn a blind eye to their struggles or neglect our responsibilities as elected officials would be a betrayal of trust in our communities.”
Kerry told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It was brilliant to meet with Hannah and Wilson. Hannah cannot believe what has happened to her, and Wilson really knows his stuff. I’m glad he reached out to me.”
She added: “We are standing together in Aberdeen and West Lothian, and with home-owners across Scotland. Home-owners should be supported on this.”
The Aberdeen campaigners have promised support at a forthcoming West Lothian protest set to follow public meetings in the communities affected including Craigshill, Broxburn and Bathgate.
Some of the campaigners joined Kerry for Wednesday night’s meeting with Wilson and Hannah.
Kerry told the LDRS: “This is just starting. I’m right up for this. The buck does not lie with home-owners. It lies with each council, with the Scottish Government and the UK government.
“We stand together as one group. We are in regular contact and collaborating with home-owners across Scotland. No home-owner should be out of pocket. You can see the anxiety and stress this is causing for many people, especially the elderly. This could be your mum and dad, your grandparents.”
“We want to make sure the right decisions are made for all.”
by Stuart Somerville Local Democracy Reporter
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
