It's time to end ‘merry-go-round of buck-passing’ over cladding scandal: Greg Wright

Campaigners have criticised the slow progress of this essential work in the seven years since the Grenfell Tower fire claimed the lives of 72 people. The NAO has also warned of the need to ensure taxpayer costs are kept down and developers pay under a new levy which is not expected to start collections until next autumn. Delivering her Budget last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged that the Government would make progress on its commitment to accelerate the remediation of homes following the Grenfell Inquiry.

The NAO report said the impacts of dangerous cladding have extended far beyond the victims of the Grenfell fire, with many people suffering significant financial and emotional distress. It noted that on top of living with the fear of fire, there have been costly bills for remediation and some residents have paid for so-called “waking watches” to patrol buildings while waiting for cladding to be removed. These watches were established to ensure residents can escape if fire breaks out. The NAO said the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has estimated somewhere between 9,000 and 12,000 buildings will need to be made safe.

The latest official figures, up to the end of September, showed there were 4,821 residential buildings of at least 11 metres in height identified with unsafe cladding, up by 50 since the previous month. This total is thought to account for more than a quarter of a million individual homes.

Building safety minister Alex Norris acknowledged that the pace of remediation to make homes safe has been unacceptably slow. He added: “This Government is taking action, meeting our commitment to invest £5.1 billion to remove dangerous cladding and making sure those responsible pay for the rest.”

The campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal said the National Audit Office report spells out the reality of this tragic saga; up to 60 per cent of unsafe buildings have yet to be identified and a funding gap remains running into billions of pounds. Remediation work is not even on track for completion by 2035. End our Cladding Scandal is right to call for a cross-government solution, including the Home Office and the Treasury, supported by the fire services and regulators.

To quote the group: “It will be, at best, two decades after the avoidable disaster at Grenfell Tower before homes are made safe. The Labour government must now get a grip and take control of this living nightmare. The ‘merry-go-round of buck-passing’ must end.” Decisions must be made with the victims in mind, rather than the interests of business. As the group rightly states, anything less would be a betrayal of all the victims.

Greg Wright is the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post