William Eichler 20 March 2025

Government ‘complacent’ over cladding capacity issue

Government ‘complacent’ over cladding capacity issue  image
Image: Iordanis / Shutterstock.com.

The Government ‘appears complacent’ about the fact that there is insufficient capacity and skills across local government to address the dangerous cladding crisis, MPs have warned.

In a report published today, the Public Accounts Commission (PAC) says the Government still does not know how many buildings have dangerous cladding eight years after the Grenfell fire.

It also revealed the Government did not know how much full remediation will cost or how long it will take.

Last December the Government set out its plan to complete remediation on all buildings over 18m, with a completion date for all buildings over 11m, by 2029.

In February, it also published its response to the Grenfell inquiry, promising a ‘sweeping transformation to enhance building and fire safety standards.’

However, campaigners told the PAC that the plan is ‘insufficiently ambitious’ and ‘at risk of not delivering what is promised.’

There are potentially 7,000 unsafe buildings that are yet to be identified, and Government has yet to find a way to secure financial contributions from manufacturers of dangerous cladding, according to the PAC report.

Commenting on the report, Cllr Adam Hug, Housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said the cladding crisis was a major issue that ‘requires significant funding and resource to address properly.’

‘The upcoming Spending Review is the moment to ensure that local government has sufficient resources to carry out this work and keep people safe,’ he added.

Read Mo Baines, chief executive of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), on the 'catastrophic system failure' that led to the Grenfell tragedy.

A Government spokesperson said: 'This government has been taking tough and decisive action after years of dither and delay, going further than ever before to speed up the unacceptably slow pace of remediation and provide an end in sight for residents who have suffered for too long.

'We continue to work closely with industry, local authorities, and residents to accelerate remediation efforts while ensuring those responsible for unsafe buildings cover the costs, with new penalties and criminal sanctions on building owners who refuse to take action.'

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