Industry News


Social housing trade bodies give a guarded welcome to Gove’s building safety announcement


R


epresentative bodies from across the housing sector have warmly welcomed the Government’s plans to sort out the cladding


crisis, but they have universally asked for more details and highlighted concerns about the funding of other essential fire safety works and new social housing building. Te reaction of Rachael Williamson, the Char-


tered Institute of Housing’s head of policy and external affairs, to Michael Gove’s announcement on how building safety will be improved, was typical of many. “While there are still elements of the building


safety crisis not addressed by the announcement, it was a significant step forward and represents a clear policy shiſt from the Government. “Te overall principal is right – leaseholders


shouldn’t be leſt with the bill for a system-wide failure and those responsible should cover the costs. Everyone should feel safe in their home and should know where to go if things go wrong. “However, the debate highlighted issues which


need further attention. How will developers be forced to pay up? What about leaseholders in buildings under 11m and those who’ve already paid out significant sums? What about liability for non- cladding costs? What analysis has been made of the impact on future house building and what does this mean for social housing? And where does the social housing bill fit within all of this?” She concluded with “Te Government’s acknowl- edgement that more radical change is needed is


welcome. But let’s make sure the cladding crisis doesn’t add to further pressure to the housing crisis – safety and supply should go hand in hand. Further assurance is needed on the detail to ensure clarity for leaseholders and the sector. We look forward to seeing it. Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National


Housing Federation, said: “We welcome this impor- tant move from the Government to find a solution to the cost of dangerous cladding on buildings above 11m, and we agree that those responsible - developers, contractors and manufacturers - should make a major contribution to funding the remedia- tion needed. Innocent leaseholders should not have to pay for building safety issues created by the big building firms. “In the absence of funding, charitable housing


associations have been leſt to pick up the bill. Tese not-for-profit organisations already estimate they will spend £10bn - over double the sum being talked about today - on remediating homes where social renters live, impacting their ability to build more social housing and improve existing properties. “As ever when it comes to this crisis, speed, clar-


ity and certainty are of the essence. We need urgent and decisive action to end the misery leaseholders are experiencing and ensure people are safe in their homes. We look forward to seeing more detail from the government and will continue to work with ministers to put an end to the cladding scandal” Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “More than four years on from the horrors of Grenfell,


“The Government must act to make buildings safe as quickly as possible, but it must remember that safety


and supply are both critical.” Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter


many people are still trapped in dangerous homes. Tis announcement is a welcome step in the right direction. Developers played a part in this cladding scandal so it’s only right they help to fix it. “Te Government must act to make buildings


safe as quickly as possible, but it must remember that safety and supply are both critical. As MPs in- cluding the former Conservative housing secretary made clear, funding shouldn’t come from the social housing budget. Right now, 126,000 children are homeless in England and many are waiting for a social home. Te government and developers must get on with building the new social homes needed to fix the housing emergency once and for all.” Members of the Levelling Up, Housing and Com-


munities select committee have also expressed con- cerns about the possible failure to reach agreement with developers. Its chair, Clive Betts said: “We want to examine the risk to the department’s budget, particularly around social housing, if it is not able to secure sufficient funds from industry.”


How do we fund all of the post Grenfell safety works?


Among the many questions leſt unanswered by Michael Gove’s commitment to make developers pay for resolving the cladding crisis on Britain’s block of flats, perhaps the most important one is how all of the other necessary safety works are to be funded. Phase One of the Grenfell inquiry exposed a


whole host of problems with the safety of residential blocks of flats and these affect not just the high rise tower blocks over 18 metres high. Tese are just a few of the issues:


• Inefficient and flammable insulation • Flawed compartmentation • Inappropriate, absent or incorrectly applied fire breaks


• Defective fire doors


• Sprinkler systems • Fire alarms • Flammable balconies


Going forward these problems can be relatively easily fixed in new buildings, but retrofitting the solutions to our existing stock will be costly, disruptive and time consuming. Work has already started on dealing with some of the above, but so far this only affects a relatively small percentage of the many thousands of flatted blocks when remedial action is required. When the timetable of works to remove cladding


is looked at in terms of what has been completed to date, it is clear that the current rate of progress is wholly inadequate. Te new building safety regulator should


10 | HMMFebruary/March 2022 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


ensure that a greater focus is applied. But the resources required for these works (labour, materials and money) will oſten be competing with decarbonisation retrofitting work which is necessary to meet the Government’s carbon reduction targets. Te Grenfell inquiry heard repeatedly that the


landlord and its many contractors had ignored questions and safety warnings from the tenants who lived in the block before, during and aſter the refurbishment. If we are not to repeat the mistakes of Grenfell, then ways need to be found to ensure tenants’ views and opinions are sought, considered and where possible, acted upon. But alongside the question ‘How do we achieve


truly safe residential buildings?’ we also need to ensure that the building of new homes to rent, both for social and private renting continues at a pace in order to tackle the current homelessness problem. Michael Gove appears to have made a decent start on tackling the cladding problem, but his in-tray of other urgent housing issues to resolve at the Levelling Up department is pretty full.


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