Inquiry launched into progress removing potentially dangerous cladding

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched an inquiry reviewing progress in removing potentially dangerous cladding from high-rise and high-risk buildings, following the Grenfell Tower fire.

It will examine the scale of issues facing residents in buildings due to combustible cladding and look at the effectiveness of Government support for the removal of all form of dangerous cladding from existing buildings, as well as the pace of remediation.

Several forms of dangerous cladding were found being used on residential buildings in the UK, with the impact on residents not only being limited to an elevated fire risk.

The Committee said they have also found themselves footing the bill for round-the-clock fire patrols, increased insurance premiums and difficulties in accessing mortgage finance.

Currently, Government funding for the removal of ACM cladding from private sector properties has been limited – 143 out of 175 properties with this form of cladding are yet to begin remedial work.

Whereas residents in properties with other forms of cladding are facing uncertainty of the timescale for removal and potential costs of tens of thousands of pounds.

The Association of Residential Managing Agents calculated that up to 500,000 people lived in homes that had some form of combustible cladding and the National Housing Federation has put the potential removal cost at £10 billion for the social housing sector alone.

Clive Betts MP, chair of the HCLG Committee, said: “There are still hundreds of buildings encased in combustible cladding and thousands of residents facing serious financial strain as a result.

“The knock-on effect of dangerous cladding on buildings has been significant, with homeowners facing increased insurance or mortgage premiums, and even having to fund round-the-clock fire patrols simply to stay in their own homes.

“The Government is providing financial support to enable the removal of ACM cladding from privately owned buildings, but this appears to be far short of what is necessary to address the real scale of the issue.

“We have launched this inquiry to understand the impact that the Government’s response has had in providing support and driving forward remediation work. We also want to better understand the scale of the problems facing residents and look at what more will need to be done to ensure that buildings are made safe, and the financial impact on residents addressed.”