Londoners need answers over delays to removal of Grenfell-style cladding

Londoners living in buildings with Grenfell-style cladding may be waiting longer than expected for the dangerous materials to be fixed, after the Government’s deadline was called into question. In a written question to the Mayor of London, Labour’s London Assembly Fire and Resilience Spokesperson, Andrew Dismore AM, asked if the Government’s targets would be met. In his response, Sadiq Khan said the deadlines set by Whitehall were “unrealistic and irresponsible”, based on the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) experience of administering the cladding remediation funds.

In July, James Brokenshire MP, then Secretary of State at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), said that all social sector buildings with ACM cladding – the kind used on Grenfell Tower – should be fixed by Christmas 2019. Yet in response to a written question by Mr Dismore, Mayor Khan said, “based on the estimated dates of completion from social landlords, this commitment will not be met.” This comes after information provided by the GLA showed that the average time for social sector remediation works, from start to finish, is estimated to be eight months. This means work on social sector buildings would have had to have begun by April 2019, three months before the target was actually set, for the Government’s deadline to be reached.

Mr Brokenshire also claimed that all private sector buildings with the same type of cladding should be fixed by June next year. Yet Mayor Khan labelled the June 2020 commitment “irresponsible and unrealistic” and said the Government will fail to meet its own “entirely unachievable” deadline. He attributes this to “supply chain pressures, delays in the Government creating this fund, Brexit, the complexity of the fund process as designed by MHCLG, and the fundamental fact that buildings owners control the pace of remediation.”

Following the Mayor’s concerns, Mr Dismore has written to the incumbent Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick MP, to ask whether the deadlines set by his predecessor remain the policy of the MHCLG and if not, to give a clear indication as to when residents can expect the remediation work to be completed.

The latest available data, obtained by Mr Dismore from a written question to the Mayor, has revealed that 216 private and social buildings across the capital currently have interim simultaneous evacuation procedures in place, because of failings in fire safety identified in those buildings. Under simultaneous evacuation, in the event of a fire, residents leave once an alarm is signaled. This diverges from the ‘Stay Put’ evacuation policy in purpose-built blocks of flats which requires residents, that are not in an area of a building directly impacted by a fire, to remain inside their flat with doors and windows closed.

Labour’s London Assembly Fire and Resilience Spokesperson, Andrew Dismore AM, said:

“We’re talking about Londoners who, by the Government’s own definition, are stuck in buildings that are dangerous to live in. They have the right to know whether these commitments will be met.

“With the GLA taking responsibility for administering the fund for remedial works, we have to sit up and listen when the Mayor says these deadlines are unachievable.

“I want some clarity from the Minister about whether or not these deadlines remain and what he will do to address delays. This is about the financial and psychological wellbeing of those in tall buildings, not to mention the very safety of their homes, and so I would expect the Government to be forthcoming and helpful in their response.”

ENDS

Notes

  • Andrew Dismore’s question to the Mayor about remediation of social sector buildings, and the Mayor’s response, can be found here and below:

 

Question

 

On 18 July, James Brokenshire MP, who was secretary of state at MHCLG at the time, said that all social sector buildings with ACM cladding should be fixed by Christmas 2019. How many buildings will the GLA’s administration of the social sector cladding remediation fund have to cover between 12 September 2019 and December 31 2019, that have not already been allocated funding, in order to meet this target?

Answer

Based on the estimated dates of completion from social landlords, this commitment will not be met. It was an unrealistic and irresponsible deadline. 

  • Andrew Dismore’s question to the Mayor about the funding for the remediation of social sector buildings, and the Mayor’s response, can be found here and below:

Question

On 18 July, James Brokenshire MP, who was secretary of state at MHCLG at the time, said that all social sector buildings with ACM cladding should be fixed by Christmas 2019. How many dwellings are contained in buildings that the GLA’s administration of the social sector cladding remediation fund have to cover between 12 September 2019 and December 31 2019, that have not already been allocated funding?

Answer

Based on the estimated dates of completion from social landlords, this commitment will not be met. It was an unrealistic and irresponsible deadline. 

  • Andrew Dismore’s question to the Mayor about remediation of private sector buildings, and the Mayor’s response, can be found here and below:

Question

On 18 July, James Brokenshire MP, who was secretary of state at MHCLG at the time, said that all private sector buildings with ACM cladding should be fixed by June 2020. How many buildings will the GLA’s administration of the private sector cladding remediation fund have to cover from 12 September 2019 to June 30 2020, that have not already been allocated funding, in order to meet this target?

Answer

The Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund will open for applications later this month. The June 2020 commitment to remediate all buildings was irresponsible and unrealistic – the Government will fail to meet its own deadline. Supply chain pressures, delays in the Government creating this fund, Brexit, the complexity of the fund process as designed by MHCLG, and the fundamental fact that buildings owners control the pace of remediation, means this deadline is entirely unachievable.  

  • The scope and funding conditions for the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund are set by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Elsewhere in England, the fund is administered by Homes England. Since 2012, the GLA has held the powers of Homes England in London, and therefore took on administration of the social and private sector remediation funds. Background on the Mayoral Decisions to take on the social sector fund is here, and the private sector fund is here;
  • On 18th July, James Brokenshire MP presented a written statement to the House of Commons which detailed two deadlines to remove and replace the ACM cladding still present on tall buildings across the UK. For buildings in the social sector, Mr Brokenshire stated “other than a small handful of exceptional cases, remediation will be completed by the end of the year.” Private sector buildings were expected to have a remediation plan, with start and finish dates, in place by the end of 2019. The finished dates in these plans should be no later than June 2020. Mr Brokenshire promised “enforcement action” against private sector building owners who did not comply with the end of December deadline. Applications to the private sector cladding remediation fund also face a December 2019 deadline;
  • Andrew Dismore’s letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick MP, can be found attached;191024 jenrick letter final
  • Andrew Dismore’s written question to the Mayor concerning the number of buildings across London that currently have interim simultaneous evacuation procedures in place, can be found here;
  • Andrew Dismore AM is the London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden.
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