Planned amendments and new measures welcomed by cladding campaigners
The government has announced additional measures to protect leaseholders and increase the pace of remediation as its cladding bill received its second reading in parliament.
In a statement published yesterday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it would amend its proposed legislation to extend leaseholder protections from three to six properties and would make funding available for collectively-owned buildings, the housing secretary has announced.
It also announced a new scheme to make construction product manufacturers contribute towards the cost of putting unsafe buildings right.
MHCLG said that further details on eligibility and funding for the new protections, as well as how the construction product manufacturer scheme will operate, would be introduced into the bill later as it passes through Parliament or published alongside it in due course.
The campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal described the announcements as “welcome news” and “positive steps we’ve long called for”, adding that it “looks[s] forward to seeing the detail”.
Building safety minister Baroness Blake said: “We are going further to protect more homeowners from unfair costs and make construction product manufacturers contribute towards putting things right.
“Alongside new powers to force those responsible to fix unsafe buildings, these measures will help give residents the safety and security they deserve.”
The announcement coincided with the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill receiving its second reading in the House of Commons.
The bill, which was introduced to parliament earlier this month, sets out plans to crack down on those responsible for unsafe cladding through tougher enforcement and penalties for non-compliance.
It would create a new legal duty for those responsible for the safety of their buildings, such as freeholders, to identify and fix issues without delay, while financial penalties could reach £500,000 for failure to comply with a remediation order.
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