Council enforcement teams are set to receive a multi-million-pound boost to help them pursue freeholders who have yet to start cladding repairs.

The Building Safety Act makes clear building owners must fix their own buildings and that developers should pay to protect leaseholders from repair bills.

The £8m funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will help local enforcement units ensure freeholders carry out repairs.

The funding will be split among 59 councils in England and prioritised for those with the highest number of unsafe buildings, particularly focused in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Minister for building safety Lee Rowley said: ‘Building owners must get essential cladding repairs done as quickly as possible and we will be relentless in pursuing those who do not.

‘We are bolstering council enforcement operations, making them better equipped to make the most of the powers they have to hold freeholders to account and prevent them from dragging their heels.

‘I look forward to working with councils to ensure we keep up the pressure on freeholders so they step up to the plate.’

Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle, cabinet member for Community Safety at Southwark Council, said: ‘We’ve been taking enforcement action against private residential building owners who haven’t completed necessary cladding work for some years now. This is part of our thorough fire safety measures that look to keep people safe.

‘However, we have far more high-rise buildings than many other London boroughs, meaning that this funding will support a much needed expansion of our work.’