MPs criticize government's cladding removal plan's ambition

A committee of Members of Parliament (MPs) has raised concerns about the government's plan to resolve the building safety crisis by 2029. They believe the plan is not ambitious enough to meet important targets. According to the Public Accounts Committee, the government still does not know how many buildings in England have dangerous cladding. They also lack clear estimates on the costs and timeframe for removing this cladding. The MPs described the government's new plan as "insufficiently ambitious" and warned it might not deliver the promised results. The Ministry of Housing stated that they are taking strong actions to fix the slow progress on building safety. However, the committee projected that making buildings safe could cost up to £22.4 billion. This financial burden could hinder the government’s goal of building 1.5 million homes. Currently, the government has allocated £5.1 billion to address the cladding crisis, expecting developers and building owners to cover the additional costs. Although some buildings have been made safe since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, remediation work had not started on a quarter of the 1,323 tall buildings needing attention by December. The report also noted that up to 12,000 buildings may be affected, impacting about three million people in England. Homes England is reviewing records for 720,000 buildings to create a list of those that need action. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, expressed disappointment over the lack of immediate solutions for residents living in affected properties. He suggested the crisis mirrors other significant scandals and echoed concerns from campaigners about the current remediation plans. Though the government has introduced the Building Safety Act to shift the cost responsibility from leaseholders to developers, many homeowners are still struggling. Some cannot sell their flats due to potential high costs of remediation work, while others face rising building insurance premiums. The committee recommended a new levy on manufacturers of materials linked to the Grenfell Tower Fire, including companies like Arconic, which produced the cladding. However, Arconic has maintained that architects and designers are responsible for using its products safely. The Ministry of Housing confirmed their commitment to work with industry and local authorities to speed up remediation efforts. They also intend to enforce penalties on building owners who refuse to act on safety issues. The committee is expected to receive updates on the government's progress later this year.