Industry News


Ministers have failed to deliver on cladding removal promises


removal of dangerous cladding from thousands of high-rise buildings across the country. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it is


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‘unacceptable’ that cladding remains on more than 2,000 residential buildings, trapping tens of thousands of residents in unsellable homes because the Government has failed to deliver on “pie-in-the- sky promises” to fix them. Among its recommendations, the PAC wants the


Government to begin vigorous enforcement action against any building owners whose remediation projects are not on track to complete by the end of 2021. It also wants to see greater transparency for residents throughout the removal and remediation process, with building owners required to meet higher standards of communication with residents. It also said a further £1bn Government fund


to fix other kinds of high-rise cladding was inadequate given the number of buildings affected, and that up to £3.5bn was likely to be needed. It wants Ministers to reveal their own impact assessment of this shortfall in terms of safety risks and financial impacts on private leaseholders and social landlords. Lord Gary Porter, building safety spokesperson at


the Local Government Association, endorsed the PAC’s work and their findings. He said: “Leaseholders and residents have suffered enough. The Government has accepted that the building


powerful cross-party committee of MPs has issued a damning criticism of the Government’s efforts to deal with the


safety system has failed for decades and it must now deal with the consequences, which includes funding remediation in full and pursuing those responsible through the courts.” More than three years after the Grenfell Tower


fire killed 72 people, the MPs on PAC called on Ministers to “put a stop to arguing over who’s responsible and put this right”. It said the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) had not done enough to address spiralling insurance costs and “nil” mortgage valuations, which have made thousands of homes unsellable.


RESIDENTS ARE TRAPPED PAC said leaseholders are trapped in homes that are not being fixed because of disputes over responsibility with freeholders and developers, and residents have reported rising levels of mental health problems. The Government estimates that more than 2,000 high-rise buildings need to be fixed because of dangerous cladding – at least 455 of them wrapped in combustible plastic-filled aluminium panels similar to those used on the Grenfell Tower. Despite pledging £600m for works, the MHCLG


has “missed its target badly” for Grenfell-style cladding to be removed from all high-rise blocks by June 2020, the PAC said. MHCLG has set a new target for works on the remaining high-rise blocks to be completed by the end of 2021.


The Government estimates that more than 2,000 high-rise buildings need to be fixed because of dangerous cladding – at least 455 of them wrapped in combustible plastic-filled aluminium panels similar to those used on the Grenfell Tower.


“Thousands of people have been condemned to


lives of stress and fear in unsaleable homes with life- changing bills: for the works and for the fire-watch that is necessary to allow them to sleep at night until it is done,” said Meg Hillier MP, the chair of the committee. “The Government has repeatedly made what


turn out to be pie-in-the-sky promises – and then failed to plan, resource, or deliver. The deadly legacy of a shoddy buildings regulation system has been devastating for the victims and survivors of Grenfell but is leaving a long tail of misery and uncertainty for those whose lives are in limbo.” The committee has also identified the danger to


vulnerable care home residents of combustible cladding on their properties and is demanding an audit of which are at risk and stressed the particular danger to residents who might need significant assistance to evacuate. By April 2020, cladding had been replaced on


two-thirds of student accommodation blocks and nearly half of the social housing buildings, compared with only 13.5 per cent of private sector residential buildings.


Funding is the biggest barrier to green retrofit for most HAs


Almost three quarters of housing associations say a lack of funding is the biggest barrier to them rolling out an ambitious national retrofitting programme for social housing. Research from the National Housing Federation


has identified the major obstacles that more than 70 HAs say they face in their efforts to make their housing stock greener and more energy efficient. Alongside funding challenges, over half of


respondents (56 per cent) also reported a lack of clarity in Government policy was making it difficult to plan effectively or with confidence. The challenge of investing in energy efficiency improvements while also addressing other priorities like building safety remediation and Coronavirus support was raised as a barrier by 40 per cent of respondents. HAs also reported concerns around capacity in supply chains (34 per cent) and about the lack of a


retrofit strategy or plan in the organisation (22 per cent). Despite these barriers, many associations already


have a strong track record on climate action, running warm homes programmes and building new homes that exceed current energy efficiency requirements. Social housing makes up 17 per cent of the UK's housing stock but produces only 10 per cent of the carbon emissions from housing. The Homes at the Heart campaign is highlighting


the role decarbonisation can play in tackling not just the climate crisis, but also the economic impact of Coronavirus. Retrofitting homes with measures like heat pumps and better insulation, as well as building new properties to high-energy efficiency standards, will create jobs and promote investment in infrastructure – as well as tackling the climate emergency.


22 | HMM October/November 2020 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk Rob Wall, Head of Policy at the National Housing


Federation, said: “Housing associations are eager to play their part in tackling the urgent threat of the climate crisis, but without further funding and policy clarity from Government these ambitions will be difficult to achieve. “Greater certainty on funding and policy will


allow associations to make long term plans for both decarbonising their existing stock and building new homes to higher energy efficiency standards. “The NHF hopes to see the Government commit


to a £3.8bn ten-year Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, as they committed to in their 2019 manifesto. This money, with a policy roadmap for standards, targets and requirements, will mean the Government and social housing providers can work together to reach the UK’s target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”


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