Friday December 12th 2025
West Lothian RAAC campaigners outside Livingston's Civic Centre ahead of the meeting with the Housing Minister.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
Campaigners for home owners blighted by crumbling concrete in West Lothian welcomed the chance to speak directly to a government minister.
Mairi McAllan, the Housing Minister, met with local home owners at Livingston’s Civic Centre to hear often tearful evidence from owners of former council and housing association homes which have RAAC roofing panels.
It was the latest in a series of meetings the minister has held with home owners around the country. No money has been put forward by the Scottish Government which maintains RAAC should be addressed by Westminster.
After the meeting local campaigner, and vice chair of the national UK RAAC campaign Kerry Macintosh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The housing minister was respectful and genuinely listened to home owners’ concerns. She even had to castigate the chair of the meeting when he repeatedly tried to shut down community voices.”
Kerry, and Ashleigh Mitchell who heads the Chestnut Grove home owners in Craigshill Livingston submitted extensive evidence to the minister regarding RAAC use in West Lothian’s public housing.
“We’re very hopeful this will lead to a public inquiry,” said Kerry.
Ashleigh Mitchell told the meeting that the biggest fear she and other Chestnut Grown home owners have is that, because their homes are fully constructed of RAAC panels, there can be no long term fix and demolition is being considered as the only viable option.
After voicing those fears to the minister Ashleigh said she: “Really really appreciated Mairi yesterday. She really did hear us out.”
The meeting also highlighted the practical difficulties faced by residents. Another resident described the near-impossible challenge of finding surveyors willing to assess properties, having contacted over ten companies with little success.
Wilson Chowdhry, chair of the National campaign said after the meeting: “RAAC home owners remain in an intolerably precarious position. While Màiri McAllan’s private meeting in West Lothian may have offered reassurance to a few individuals, it does nothing to resolve the systemic crisis facing thousands across Scotland.”
Kerry told the LDRS of her ongoing anger at the council’s refusal to offer any help beyond advice to home owners as RAAC remediation works get under way in West Lothian.
She said Damian Doran-Timson, the conservative group leader, and a fellow conservative councillor, Alison Adamson “are the only ones to support the home owners”.
“All councillors should be pushing for help for homeowners,” she added.
The home owners in Chestnut Grove have asked for a meeting with Almond Housing Association.
A recent meeting of the East Livingston and East Calder Local Area Committee heard from the association on the work carried out on the tenanted homes found to have RAAC in December 2023.
Jonathan Bertram, Housing Manager told the meeting: “Works commenced earlier this year, carried out by the firm DBM. To date 74 out of 239 properties have been completed, with a further eight to be completed before Christmas break. The target for completion of the work is November next year.”
Ms McAllan told the LDRS after the meeting: “I recognise this is a worrying time for home owners in West Lothian affected by RAAC. The meeting on Wednesday gave me an opportunity to hear directly from local residents and to understand their concerns and issues. We discussed a number of practical proposals which I hope will now be taken forward between affected residents and West Lothian Council.
“I will continue to monitor the situation.”
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