The Housing secretary Michael Gove will today announce plans to overhaul the government’s previous proposals for tackling the cladding crisis.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 in which 72 people died, recommendations from phase 1 of the Grenfell inquiry has led to major changes in fire safety standards.
But the Fire Safety Act 2021 does not protect leaseholders from facing huge bills to fund remedial work on their homes.
The money for fixing dangerous cladding must come “from those who are responsible”, Mr Gove told BBC One’s Breakfast programme today.
“Ultimately, the key question is who put that cladding up? They are the individuals, they are the companies who should pay to make sure that cladding is safe. Some companies have been, to my mind, responsible and right in removing their cladding, others have not. They have not fulfilled their responsibilities, now is the time we should.”
Gove’s predecessor as Housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, had proposed offering tens of thousands of pounds in loans to leaseholders to fund the repairs.
“It’s wrong that leaseholders, the people who are in those flats, should pay, and in many cases the sums concerned are sums that these poor individuals can’t pay. It is the case with companies that do have significant turnover, significant turnover going out, they can pay,” Gove explained.
“We hope there will be a recognition of shared responsibility, but if necessary then we can always use legal means and the ultimate backstop of tax to make sure that they pay. But what I want to do is work with companies because the overwhelming number of people in the sector do want to work with us to sort this out.”
In a letter to industry bosses over the weekend, Mr Gove said developers must sign up to the £4bn plan to tackle the issue by earlier March, or face action under new laws.
If firms refuse to cooperate, the government could restrict their access to state funding along with their use of planning powers, and take them to court.
Mr Gove is expected to meet with campaigners on the issue this morning, prior to his announcement to the House of Commons scheduled for 3:30 this afternoon.
