Government to fund £200m renovation for unsafe cladding
Photo credit: PA
The UK Government is to pay an estimated £200m to replace the unsafe cladding on around 170 high-rise private residential buildings.
Previously Housing Secretary James Brokenshire had said the cost should be covered by the owners, not the taxpayer.
However he acknowledged the long wait for the remedial work to be carried out caused strain and anxiety for those living in affected high-rises.
He said owners had been attempting to offload the high costs on to leaseholders.
In June 2017 seventy-two people died in the fire which destroyed Grenfell Tower, in west London. It is one of the UK’s worst modern disasters.
A public enquiry into the fire supported the theory that the cladding on the outside of the building was the primary cause of the fires spread.
It took only minutes for the fire to race up the building and envelope the four sides.
Latest government figures show 166 private residential buildings out of the 176 identified with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding. This is the same type of cladding used on Grenfell Tower – yet to start works on removing and replacing it.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “It is of paramount importance that everybody is able to feel and be safe in their homes.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter said: “It is a source of deep concern that nearly two years after the devastating Grenfell fire this dangerous cladding is still on buildings.
“It is vital that it is removed as quickly as possible. The first priority of any government must be to protect its citizens so we welcome today’s announcement.
“We look forward to seeing more detail on the scheme and hope it is able to work quickly and effectively to give residents a safe home.”
Grenfell United, a group of survivors and the bereaved, said the news offered hope to those feeling at risk when at home.
“This result is a testament to residents themselves, in social and private blocks, who refused to be ignored. The truth is we should never have had to fight for it,” the group said.
The group asked the government to consider financial support for residents as they continue night watches and wait for the remediation work to begin.
Residents have been unable to move back to their homes for nearly two years.
The Conservative peer Lord Porter says taxpayers should not fund the removal of cladding from privately owned high rises.
