UK: Below is our open letter to the Welsh Government, urgently requesting financial support for elderly homeowners living in RAAC-affected properties. These vulnerable residents have been overlooked, while politicians deflect responsibility by citing an inadequate and inapplicable grant scheme offered by the local council.

OPEN LETTER

To:

Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS

First Minister for Wales

Welsh Government

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff

CF99 1NA

Rt Hon Jayne Bryant MS

Minister for Housing

Welsh Government

Cardiff Bay

Re: RAAC-Affected Homes in Hirwaun – Inaccuracies in Welsh Government Letter Dated 22 April 2025

Dear First Minister and Minister for Housing,

I am writing this open letter in response to a letter received by Lesley Lewis, leader of the CYMRU RAAC Campaign Group, from Mr. Richard Baker, Deputy Director of the Place Division at Welsh Government, dated 22 April 2025 (click here). The letter sought to address the deeply concerning issue of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in homes at the Gower Estate in Hirwaun.

As Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, I appreciate the Welsh Government’s engagement on this critical matter and its recognition of the emotional and financial burden RAAC has placed on residents. However, it is important to correct several inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the original response that risk obscuring the reality faced by affected homeowners.

1. Grants Are Inaccessible to Private Landlords

The letter references grant schemes intended to assist owner-occupiers, yet private landlords — who are equally responsible for homes with RAAC and whose tenants are directly impacted — are completely excluded from these schemes. These landlords have no access to support, despite the urgency of repairs required for tenant safety.

2. Most Homeowners Are Disqualified by Restrictive Criteria

The eligibility conditions for Maintenance Repair Assistance and Renovation Grant Assistance — as outlined in the annex to Mr. Baker’s letter — are so restrictive that they exclude the vast majority of RAAC-affected homeowners at the Gower Estate. Reasons for ineligibility include:

• Not receiving the specific benefits required;
• Not meeting the five-year occupancy threshold;
• Exceeding equity or savings thresholds.

To demonstrate the real-world impact of these criteria, the CYMRU RAAC Campaign Group conducted a local survey. The results are revealing: out of 10 respondents, only 2 homeowners potentially qualify for any grant assistance.

Summary of Survey Results:

This evidence underscores that while grant schemes may exist on paper, they fail to address the needs of real residents who are living in unsafe and deteriorating conditions.

3. Urgent Need for Tailored Government Support

Given the gravity and urgency of the RAAC crisis, we call on the Welsh Government to take the following actions:

• Establish a dedicated financial support scheme for RAAC-affected private homeowners and landlords;
• Broaden existing eligibility criteria to reflect the urgent structural risks, not just means-tested poverty;
• Introduce interest-free loans or remediation grants regardless of benefit status;
• Coordinate with the UK Government and other devolved nations to build a UK-wide RAAC housing response strategy.

The grant criteria, as outlined in Mr. Baker’s letter, may appear reasonable in policy terms, but they fail catastrophically in practice. The vast majority of residents at the Gower Estate are elderly and extremely vulnerable, many of whom are already experiencing heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and isolation as a direct result of the deteriorating state of their homes and the uncertainty surrounding their futures. These are individuals who have worked their entire lives, only to find themselves trapped in unsafe housing and excluded from support mechanisms intended to protect them.

In addition, every private landlord and homeowner on the estate purchased these ex-council properties in good faith, completely unaware that RAAC had been used in the roof construction — a decision made as a cost-saving measure during their original build. This critical information was never disclosed during the sale of the properties. Despite the existence of early warnings about RAAC as far back as 1996, and some reports indicating concerns arose even during the construction phase, no effective action was taken to flag these properties as high risk, leaving successive buyers exposed to life-changing financial and structural risks through no fault of their own.

It is also important to highlight that the Gower Estate is located in one of the most deprived areas in Wales, as identified by the national Indices of Multiple Deprivation. Residents here already face severe disadvantages in terms of health outcomes, household income, and access to essential services. The sudden and overwhelming financial burden now placed on them — whether for essential structural surveys, emergency accommodation, or full-scale roof remediation — is entirely unaffordable for most. Without urgent intervention, this crisis threatens to push many families and pensioners into bankruptcy or homelessness. The weight of this burden is not just financial but deeply personal, with individuals facing the devastating prospect of losing homes they have lived in for decades, in communities they helped to build and sustain.

We respectfully request a meeting with the Welsh Government to discuss a pathway to more inclusive, practical and compassionate support, and would welcome the participation of members of both the UK RAAC Campaign Group and the CYMRU RAAC Campaign Group.

Sincerely,

Wilson Chowdhry

Chairman, UK RAAC Campaign Group