Watchdog says cladding removal deadline may be missed

The authorities could miss its ain cladding removal completion day if advancement is not made to velocity up the process, the UK's spending watchdog has said.

In a caller report, the National Audit Office (NAO) said up to 60% of buildings with unsafe cladding had inactive not been identified by the government, and astatine its existent complaint of advancement it was owed to miss its ain estimated completion day of 2035 for the works.

The study follows the decision of the Grenfell Inquiry successful September, which recovered risks had been ignored and determination was “systematic dishonesty” from those who made and sold the cladding progressive successful the occurrence successful westbound London successful 2017, successful which 72 radical died.

The authorities has been contacted for a response.

The study assessed however accelerated the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was completing enactment to regenerate unsafe cladding from operation blocks successful England, and aimed to supply an update to a erstwhile NAO study successful 2020.

It recovered determination had been "a important summation successful remediation activity" since then, with 4,771 buildings taller than 11 metres being brought nether the government's remedial works strategy arsenic of August.

However, an estimated 7,200 much buildings successful England with specified cladding inactive had not been identified and immoderate "may never", the NAO continued.

Progress with replacing the cladding was besides slow, it found.

Although the MHCLG spent £2.3bn carrying retired enactment connected identified buildings, the study said enactment had lone been completed connected astir a 3rd of them and was yet to commencement connected half.

The government's suggested extremity day for completing cladding works connected these buildings was 2035 but it was not connected people to conscionable this deadline and "there are important challenges to overcome", the study stated.

The NAO recommended that if advancement with identifying buildings with unsafe cladding did not amended by the extremity of 2024, the authorities should see different measures.

These see mandatory registration for medium-rise buildings - and arsenic with high-rise buildings nether the Building Safety Act 2022, tougher enforcement enactment and enactment to assistance with disputes betwixt residents and gathering owners.

"Many radical inactive bash not cognize erstwhile their buildings volition beryllium made safe, contributing to residents suffering important fiscal and affectional distress," the study said.

The watchdog besides highlighted determination were issues with keeping taxpayers' contributions to the works capped astatine £5.1bn.

The MHCLG's estimation for costs for each the works amounted to £16.6bn and the NAO said though the authorities planned to recoup astir £3.4bn from a caller Building Safety Levy, this was not expected to beryllium introduced until autumn 2025 astatine the earliest.

In London, more than £1bn has been paid retired to instrumentality unsafe cladding disconnected operation blocks successful the past six years.

The Greater London Authority, which manages the schemes connected behalf of government, said 58% were present either afloat remediated, oregon enactment was nether way.

The study findings travel aft Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced successful the Budget that the authorities would put much than £1bn for repairs to buildings with unsafe cladding successful 2025-26, which includes caller concern to velocity up remediation of societal housing.

Gareth Davies, caput of the NAO, said: “There is simply a agelong mode to spell earlier each affected buildings are made safe, and risks MHCLG indispensable code if its attack is to succeed.

“To instrumentality to its £5.1bn headdress successful the agelong run, MHCLG needs to guarantee that it tin recoup funds done palmy implementation of the projected Building Safety Levy.”

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, seat of the Commons' Public Accounts Committee, who antecedently met survivors of the Grenfell fire, said "the programme is falling down docket and MHCLG needs to prime up the gait to get it backmost connected track," adding "the authorities indispensable instrumentality steps to amended support the taxpayer".

"It urgently needs to guarantee its fraud controls are moving and that developers lend their just stock to the costs.”