Cladding scandal: Government must listen to campaigners' fears over barriers to justice: Greg Wright
The cladding scandal continues to cause misery for hundreds of thousands of people who just want a safe place to call home.
In December, the new Labour Government acknowledged that far too many residential buildings still have unsafe cladding. In response, it published a Remediation Acceleration Plan which should mean that, by the end of 2029, all buildings over 59ft (18m) tall with unsafe cladding that are on a Government scheme will have been remediated.
By then, buildings over 36ft (11m) tall with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated or have a date for completion, with landlords liable for tough penalties if they fail to comply.
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described the plans as decisive action, but campaigners labelled them as extremely disappointing proposals that would only make a horribly complicated process worse.
Earlier this month, Giles Grover, from the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign group, told MPs he was not at all confident that the action plan for England would deliver the outcome sought by residents affected by the scandal.
Mr Grover told the Public Accounts Committee: “I’m sure officials are patting themselves on the back for announcing a target date of 2029. That’s still five long years away.
"It’s only for some buildings, the high rise buildings that are in grant funding schemes that were first known in 2020. I think the target date is essentially meaningless to most people, really. People really want to know for their homes, whatever height it is, when it will be made safe. And just simply having a high-level date of 2029 for some buildings just won’t mean anything.”
He said there remain “too many issues… too many barriers”, citing an inconsistency in risk assessments, issues around non-cladding defects, shared owners, and a case-by-case approach to buildings lower than 11 metres in height which he said “has failed”.
He said: “I don’t know how I can be confident in a plan when the actual issues and the barriers to remediation haven’t been addressed.”
The campaigner, who became involved in speaking out on building safety issues when he was told his home was unsafe in 2017 after the Grenfell Tower fire, said there needs to be more “visible oversight and grip” of what is happening on the ground. This includes whether building owners are signed up to the code of practice, which sets out expectations of those undertaking and managing remediation projects, and whether they are adhering to it.
Sarah Healey, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said ministers “are very committed to speeding up the pace of remediation”.
Last year, the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign warned the new Government that the merry-go-round of buck-passing was continuing and the pace of remediation remained glacial.
The group believes the Government has still to find a comprehensive solution that will bring about the changes needed to protect innocent people. Leaseholders and residents have a right to know when their homes can finally be declared safe. Grenfell Tower serves as a horrific warning from recent history.
Greg Wright is the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post