🏠 An Open Letter to the UK Government: Support for RAAC-Affected Homes

To the UK Government: the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Housing, and the Prime Minister,

We, the undersigned, urgently call on the UK Government to act in this November Budget to support private and social homeowners across the UK whose homes are at risk due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). This is a nationwide crisis, impacting communities from Aberdeen and Edinburgh to Glasgow, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with homes, security, and public trust hanging in the balance.

“Residents report sleepless nights, worrying their ceilings might collapse without warning.” (The Scottish Sun, 2025).

This is more than a number. These represent families, properties, and imminent danger.

1. The Crisis

 • Scotland:

 • Aberdeen: Over 500 residential homes in Balnagask (private and council) confirmed RAAC (Aberdeen City Council, 2025).

 • Edinburgh: 44 council-owned homes, including privately owned former Right-to-Buy properties (City of Edinburgh Council, 2025).

 • Dundee: 81 blocks of flats and 293 cottages affected, including private homes (Dundee City Council, 2025).

 • Glasgow & elsewhere: Scottish Housing Regulator reports RAAC in social housing across 17 landlords, including South & North Lanarkshire (Scottish Housing Regulator, 2025).

 • England:

 • Private Homes: Widespread use of RAAC in mid-20th-century construction puts homeowners at risk.

 • Public Buildings: 457 government sites identified with RAAC (schools, hospitals, prisons) (The Guardian, 2024).

 • School Closures: Over 174 buildings closed for safety as of 2023–24 (UK Gov, 2023)

 • Wales:

 • Private Homes: 14 homes in Hirwaun require £23,000 each for remediation (Welsh Government, 2024).

 • Social Housing: 60 homes affected; some residents displaced (Inside Housing, 2024).

 • Northern Ireland:

 • RAAC found in a South Belfast primary school; structural surveys underway. 

 • Private homes likely affected, given historical construction practices but a more thorough RACC investigation needs to be done in Northern Ireland.

This crisis is national in scale, spanning both public and private buildings, and requires urgent, coordinated action.

2. The Human and Financial Cost

Across the UK, RAAC is destroying peace of mind, financial security, and community stability:

 • Aberdeen: Hundreds of families live in fear; homeowners face devaluation, uncertain buy-backs, or unaffordable repairs (The P&J, 2025).

 • Dundee: Fully private buildings leave homeowners exposed; councils disclaim liability (Scottish Housing News, 2025).

 • Edinburgh: 17 RAAC-affected homes are being bought by the council, but many homeowners risk losing decades of equity (Inside Housing, 2025).

 • Glasgow: Residents wait anxiously while life savings erode (Scottish Housing News, 2025).

 • Wales: Homeowners face average costs of £23,000; displacement threatens social cohesion (Inside Housing, 2024).

 • Northern Ireland: RAAC in schools threatens safety, with unknown risk in private homes (BBC, 2003)

Inaction could cost the UK millions in emergency evacuations, health services, and lost property value and this would be far more than the cost of proactive remediation.

“Surveys indicate significant anxiety and stress among residents living in RAAC-affected homes” (Aberdeen City Council, 2025).

3. Historical and Moral Responsibility

Many affected homes were Right-to-Buy properties, sold under UK legislation decades ago. The UK government encouraged home ownership and must now ensure safety and fairness for all RACC affected residents.

Local councils alone cannot bear this burden. The UK Government must decisively act. 

3a. A Matter of UK-Wide Consistency

The UK Government has committed significant funding to remove RAAC from public infrastructure in England, acknowledging the serious risks it poses. Regrettably, the devolved administrations have not received Barnett consequential specifically for England’s RAAC remediation efforts, leaving homeowners and tenants in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland without sufficient support. The same principle must apply across the UK: English RAAC funding must generate Barnett consequential explicitly targeted at this crisis, guaranteeing fair, timely, and effective assistance for all affected residents in the devolved nations.

4. Our Call to Action 

Ahead of the November 2025 Budget, we urge the UK Government to:

Establish a Joint UK–Devolved Nations RAAC Recovery Fund

• Ring-fenced to support remediation, demolition, rebuilding, and fair buy-backs across the UK.

Ensure Fair Valuation and Buy-Backs

 • Voluntary offers must reflect pre-RAAC market value; relocation support and equity recovery must be provided.

Create a Right-to-Buy Compensation Scheme

 • Compensate homeowners affected by historical UK policies, including the Right to Buy scheme introduced by the UK government.

Support Displaced or At-Risk Residents

 • Fund rehousing, mental health services, legal and financial advice, and community rebuilding.

Invest in Safe, Public Housing for the Future

 • Rebuild or replace unsafe homes with safe and affordable housing. 

5. Why This Is a National Issue

Ignoring RAAC in private homes risks lives, public trust, and social equity.
Prioritising schools, prisons, and hospitals is not enough. Homeowners across the UK must receive the same level of protection and support.

Lives, homes, and communities depend on action now.

6. A Call to Leadership

In this Budget, the UK Government can choose to:

 • Walk away, leaving thousands in unsafe homes, or

 • Stand with residents, fund a just path forward, and restore trust in public service.

Conclusion

In the coming Budget, the UK Government faces a clear choice: to walk away, leaving thousands of people in dangerous homes, or to stand with them, fund a fair and decisive path forward, and demonstrate that public service still matters. We urge you to choose the latter. Act now. Lives and livelihoods depend on it.

Signed:

Share & Support

If you agree that RAAC-affected homeowners and tenants across the UK deserve urgent support, please sign your name and share this letter to help raise awareness and pressure the UK Government to act.

#RAACHomes #SafeHousingUK #RightToBuyJustice

 References

 • Aberdeen City Council. (2025). RAAC Housing. Retrieved from https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/housing/raac-housing

 • City of Edinburgh Council. (2025). RAAC in Council Homes. Retrieved from https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schools/raac-schools

 • Dundee City Council. (2025). RAAC – Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in Housing. Retrieved from https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/service-area/neighbourhood-services/housing-construction-and-community-services/raac-reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-in-housing

 • Inside Housing. (2024). Welsh landlord begins work to fix 60 RAAC-affected homes. Retrieved from https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/welsh-landlord-begins-work-to-fix-60-raac-affected-homes-88915

 • Inside Housing. (2025). Edinburgh council to re-check entire stock as more RAAC discovered. Retrieved from https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/edinburgh-city-council-to-re-check-entire-stock-as-more-raac-discovered-93330

 • Scottish Housing Regulator. (2025). Regulator publishes update from RAAC data collection. Retrieved from https://www.housingregulator.gov.scot/about-us/news/regulator-publishes-update-from-raac-data-collection/

 • The Guardian. (2024). Hundreds of English schools still at risk from crumbling concrete. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/12/hundreds-of-english-schools-still-at-risk-from-crumbling-concrete

 • Welsh Government. (2024). Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC): Housing Stakeholder Minutes – 13 August 2024. Retrieved from https://www.gov.scot/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-housing-stakeholder-minutes-13-august-2024/

 • Scottish Housing News. (2025). Dundee ‘most impacted’ by RAAC in Scotland. Retrieved from https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/articles/dundee-most-impacted-by-racc-in-scotland