The Government has announced a new £3.5bn fund to fix dangerous cladding on high-rise buildings in England and further loans for leaseholders to fix similar problems in shorter buildings, with maximum monthly repayments of £50 a month.
The housing Secretary Robert Jenrick unveiled his 5-point plan which will provide reassurance to homeowners and confidence to the housing market following the Grenfell Fire of 2017.
However the proposals for a cut off at 18m high buildings has proved controversial. According to the Government,Home Office analysis of fire and rescue service statistics showing buildings between 18 and 30 metres are four times as likely to suffer a fire with fatalities or serious casualties than apartment buildings in general.
Lower-rise buildings, with a lower risk to safety, will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal with a generous new scheme offered to buildings between 11 and 18 metres. This will pay for cladding removal, where it is needed, through a long-term, low interest, government-backed financing arrangement.
Asked about the proposals at this afternoon’s GM Press Conference, Deputy Mayor Beverley Hughes described the measures as ‘nowhere near enough’ and said that the 18m cut-off in terms of which buildings will be entitled to it is arbitrary.
She added that it was ‘shocking’ that full compensation hasn’t been made available to everyone affected by this and said that the proposed scheme falls ‘so far short’ for thousands of people living somewhere that’s ‘absolutely unsafe
The Government really needs to ‘step up and step up fully to meet the needs of leaseholders’.
A partner in Scanlans, the managing agent for numerous apartment blocks around the country,several of which have flammable cladding said that “It is of some comfort that the government has now recognised that the £1.5bn previously allocated to the Building Safety Fund was insufficient, and that it has now increased the size of the pot of money available so that leaseholders of properties in buildings over 18 metres in height will not have to pay for remedial work.
However Ian Magenis added:
“It is disappointing that today’s announcement appears to only focus on external
cladding and does not address timber balconies and walkways, internal
compartmentation or internal fire doors, which are matters of equal concern and
appear to be being ignored.”
“We are also extremely concerned that nothing appears to have been done to
address the immediate problem of escalating buildings insurance premiums, which
are a reality today and need to be funded today.
“Some blocks around the UK have seen premiums rise from £40,000 a year to
£500,000, while others cannot get insurance cover at all.Unless government assistance is provided now to support leaseholders, these huge insurance costs will remain in place year-on-year until the cladding is removed.”
Thangam Debbonaire MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary said
“Today’s announcement is a repeat of undelivered promises made a year ago. The Chancellor said last March: “all unsafe combustible cladding will be removed from every private and social residential building above 18 metres high.” This has not happened. Buildings haven’t been able to access the fund. 9 pounds out of 10 has not been paid out.
