By Stuart Sommerville

Copyright dailyrecord

West Lothian RAAC campaigners fear they are being snubbed by the Scottish Housing minister. Local vice- chair of the national protest group Kerry Macintosh said in a third letter to Mairi McAllan “We are still living in unsafe homes, abandoned by our council, and now neglected by the Scottish Government too.” In a response the minister’s private secretary moved to reassure local campaigners that diary dates for a visit to affected communities are being worked out. The move comes as local campaigners prepare to attend the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday for the latest hearing on the RAAC petition to Holyrood, which has now gathered 2,500 names. As work gets under way on West Lothian’s council homes which have been identified with potentially crumbling concrete or RAAC roofing, many home owners still face uncertainty about repair costs. In her latest letter to the Housing Minister, Kerry said: “Despite your assurances, no date has yet been set for a meeting with residents in our area.” She added: “You have publicly committed to meeting home-owners in the communities most severely impacted by RAAC. However, after four separate requests from West Lothian residents, we are still waiting. “The longer this delay continues, the more it appears that political considerations – rather than the urgent needs of affected families – are shaping where and when you choose to engage. “West Lothian residents deserve the same opportunity to speak with you directly as those in other affected areas. “West Lothian home-owners are being left to live in properties known to contain RAAC. This absence of engagement or practical assistance is unacceptable, and your silence on arranging a meeting only compounds that neglect.” Responding by email yesterday Ms McAllan’s private secretary said: “we are in the process of finalising a date for the Cabinet Secretary to meet with West Lothian residents in the coming weeks, and we will be back in touch with you once this has been confirmed.” Kerry is critical of both Labour and SNP politicians at all levels of government in West Lothian. Only local Conservative councillors Alison Adamson and Damian Doran-Timson have shown active support for those affected by RAAC, she said. She added that pattern has been repeated within Holyrood, with only Conservative MSPs actively backing the national RAAC campaigners’ calls for financial support for home-owners in Aberdeen, Dundee and Tillicoultry. Kerry also spoke of her anger and distress at the situation in Aberdeen where a video made by the Torry Community RAAC Campaign shows boarded up homes and gardens filled with fly-tipped rubbish. The few remaining home-owners are now trapped in a frightening urban wasteland, surrounded by emptied and condemned council homes. “It’s heart-breaking. This shouldn’t be happening again. This is exactly what happened here. They should have learned from Deans South,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.” Don’t miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here .