Radical action to speed up removal of unsafe cladding announced by Government

For the first time, the Government has set clear target dates for making buildings safe and will propose to introduce significantly tougher penalties for any refusal to act.

By the end of 2029, all 18 metres-plus (ie high-rise) buildings with unsafe cladding in a Government-funded scheme will have been remediated. By the end of 2029, every 11 metres-plus building with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated or have a date set for completion. Otherwise, landlords will be liable for severe penalties. 

The Remediation Acceleration Plan will also be backed by investment in enforcement so that local authorities, Fire and Rescue Authorities and the Building Safety Regulator have the capacity to tackle hundreds of cases each year.

Alongside the Remediation Acceleration Plan, the Government is publishing a joint Action Plan with developers to accelerate their work to fix buildings for which they are responsible. At least 29 developers, covering over 95% of the buildings which developers are remediating themselves, have committed to more than doubling the rate at which they’ve been assessing and starting to fix unsafe buildings, meaning that work on all of their buildings will begin by the summer of 2027.

Unsafe cladding   

Seven years after 72 lives were tragically lost following the Grenfell Tower fire, thousands of residents still live in buildings wrapped in unsafe cladding. To date, 95% of buildings with the same type of cladding used on Grenfell have been remediated. However, only 30% of identified buildings in England have been remediated, with potentially thousands more buildings yet to be identified.

Since July, the Government has engaged with Mayors, local enforcement agencies and developers alike to address the unacceptably slow pace of remediation and is now setting out its roadmap to speed up the whole process.

The Remediation Acceleration Plan follows the publication of the full Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report in early September, which highlighted catastrophic and systemic failures in keeping people safe. It delivers on the Prime Minister’s commitment that the Government would set out further steps on remediation by the autumn to deliver real change.

The Government is considering the Phase 2 report of the Inquiry and has committed to providing an update on its progress by March 2025.

The Remediation Acceleration Plan will speed up the process of making homes safe by focusing on three key objectives:    

*fix buildings faster: expedite remediation of higher-risk buildings with clear deadlines and penalties for non-compliance    

*identify all unsafe buildings: identify all buildings with unsafe cladding through advanced data assessments and the creation of a comprehensive building register   

*support residents: protect residents from the financial burdens of remediation and improve their experience throughout the process

Too slow for too long  

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “More than seven years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, thousands of people across this country have been left living in homes with dangerous cladding. The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe. Our Remediation Acceleration Plan will ensure those responsible for making buildings safe deliver the change residents need and deserve.”

Building Safety Minister Alex Norris added: “Every resident deserves to feel safe in their home. By setting a clear timeline and firm deadlines, this announcement is a major step towards ensuring every building is made safe. Our Remediation Acceleration plan will fix buildings faster, identify all buildings with unsafe cladding and support vulnerable residents.”  

Norris concluded: “This move underscores our unwavering commitment to safeguarding residents and holding those responsible to account. We will not hesitate to actively pursue the owners of buildings who refuse to act.”

Publication of the Remediation Acceleration Plan coincided with a debate in Parliament on the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report. Announcements made during the debate included the introduction of a continuous review process for statutory guidance to the Building Regulations covering fire safety and building design by the Building Safety Regulator.

Additionally, the way in which the Building Regulations guidance is produced, updated and communicated to the construction industry will be reviewed, emphasising the need for clarity and accountability in ensuring building safety.

The announcement follows on from letters sent by the Deputy Prime Minister to organisations responsible for fixing residential buildings with unsafe cladding. Alongside new deadlines for the commencement of remediation works on residential buildings, organisations have been told they must take accountability and act now or face the consequences.

The Government is promising to bring forward a long-term social housing remediation strategy early in the New Year. Before then, it will begin to accelerate remediation of social housing by making sure that social landlords who are eligible apply for Government funding do so and increasing targeted support for eligible social landlords who apply so that works can begin sooner.

Response from the NFCC

Responding to the Government’s announcement, National Fire Chiefs Council chair Mark Hardingham observed: “We welcome the Government’s plans to improve building safety and accelerate the removal of unsafe cladding. Addressing these risks is a critical step towards preventing future tragedies and ensuring the safety of people in their homes across the country.”

Hardingham continued: “However, we must acknowledge that achieving the ambitious targets set out in this announcement will face significant practical challenges. Chief among them is the current shortage of skilled and competent professionals required to deliver such a large-scale programme, which is not an issue that can be resolved through funding alone. While committed to supporting this vital work, Fire and Rescue Services are already operating under significant pressure to meet their statutory obligations. Without a co-ordinated and long-term strategy to address workforce shortages and build capacity, there’s a real risk of overstretching the capacity of competent practitioners across the fire and wider construction sectors.”

Further, Hardingham stated: “We are keen to see – and to be part of – a collaborative and systemic response that not only accelerates remediation, but also invests in building the expertise and resilience of the workforce. This will require engagement with all stakeholders including local authorities, industry leaders, and training providers to ensure that we lay a sustainable foundation for safer buildings in the future.”

In conclusion, Hardingham said: “Fire and Rescue Services stand ready to support efforts designed to enhance public safety towards a safer future for all. There needs to be sustainable funding to support them in this work. We would wish to see a comprehensive assessment of resource demands in order to ensure that we can maintain the full breadth of our statutory responsibilities in keeping our communities safe.”