Building safety reforms billed as the ‘biggest change for a generation’ do not go far enough to clamp down on potentially dangerous cladding, councils argued this week.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s latest plans include naming and shaming building owners that have not taken action to remove cladding from high-rise buildings by the end of this month and working with councils on enforcement action against those without a ‘clear plan for remediation’.
Mr Jenrick also announced a new building safety regulator within the Health and Safety Executive to oversee more stringent regulations and an expert to advise on how to speed up remediation in the private sector.
The Government has already created a £200m fund to make safe private properties more than 18 metres tall with the same aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding used on Grenfell Tower.
Building safety spokesman for the Local Government Association (LGA), Lord Porter, added: ‘ACM is not the only cladding system that poses a risk to residents and the Government needs to come forward urgently with funding to support the removal of HPL and other dangerous systems.’
Sir Bob Neill told The MJ (£) that it’s time the problems were addressed collaboratively by Government and local authorities.
