The government has
stepped in to speed up vital cladding replacement by fully funding the work,
eliminating excuses used by some building owners and protecting leaseholders
from the costs.
Around £200 million
will be made available to remove and replace unsafe aluminium composite
material cladding from around 170 privately owned high-rise buildings.
This step has been
taken after private building owners failed to take action and tried to offload
costs onto leaseholders. Prime Minister,
Theresa May said: "It is of paramount importance that everybody is able to
feel and be safe in their homes.
"That’s why we
asked building owners in the private sector to take action and make sure
appropriate safety measures were in place.
"And we’ve seen
a number of private building owners doing the right thing and taking
responsibility, but unfortunately too many are continuing to pass on the costs
of removal and replacement to leaseholders.
"I can confirm
we will now be fully funding the replacement of cladding on high-rise private
residential buildings so residents can feel confident they are secure in their
homes."
Lord Porter,
chairman of the Local Government Association, said the announcement will come
as an enormous relief to leaseholders who are in no way to blame for the
dangerous cladding on their homes.
"They have
suffered for far too long," he continued. "Since the LGA first raised
their plight in 2017, we have been working with MHCLG to ensure the Treasury
provided the necessary funding, and it is great that we have been listened to.
"Reputable
developers have done the right thing and paid for buildings to be fixed, but it
would be wrong if the taxpayer had to pay the bills of those developers and
contractors who are responsible for this crisis.
“It
is therefore right that, while the Government has committed to cover the
cost temporarily, it has also said it will do everything in its power to ensure
those responsible for the installation of unsafe cladding and insulation on
their buildings, or indeed their insurers, eventually pay the full cost for its
removal and replacement.”
Communities
Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said although temporary measures are in
place to ensure people living in these buildings are safe, too many owners are
treating this as a permanent fix. Others are trying to pass on the costs to
residents by threatening them with bills running to thousands of pounds.
"While some
building owners have been swift to act, and I thank them for doing the right
thing, I am now calling time on the delay tactics of others," he added.
"If these reckless building owners won’t act, the government will."
The government
appreciates the work of Grenfell United and the UK Cladding Action Group who
have campaigned prominently, outlining the challenges in getting private
building owners to fund the replacement of cladding on their homes.
The government has
already fully funded this work in social housing developments. However, private
developers and freeholders have been too slow to act and leaseholders have been
threatened with significant, often unaffordable, costs resulting in delays.
The latest figures
show that 166 private buildings are yet to start works on removing and
replacing ACM cladding, compared to 23 in the social sector.
Building owners will
have 3 months to access the new fund. We will look carefully at those who fail
to remediate and consider what further action can be taken.
Building owners and
developers who have already fully funded the remediation of buildings are
Pemberstone, Aberdeen Asset Management, Barratt Developments, Fraser
Properties, Legal & General, Mace and Peabody.
