The government has confirmed that around £200 million will be made available to remove and replace unsafe cladding from approximately 170 privately owned high-rise buildings.

This is the latest move to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding and follows the government’s decision to give additional powers to local authorities seeking to take enforcement action to remove Grenfell-style cladding from private buildings in order to speed up the process, which we wrote about on the Advantage Construction Insurance blog in December.

The government has stepped in to speed up vital cladding replacement by fully funding the work, protecting leaseholders from being made liable for the costs. Around £200 million will be made available to remove and replace unsafe aluminium composite material cladding from around 170 privately owned high-rise buildings.

Prime Minister, Theresa May said:

“It is of paramount importance that everybody is able to feel and be safe in their homes.

“That’s why we asked building owners in the private sector to take action and make sure appropriate safety measures were in place.

“And we’ve seen a number of private building owners doing the right thing and taking responsibility, but unfortunately too many are continuing to pass on the costs of removal and replacement to leaseholders.

“Today I can confirm we will now be fully funding the replacement of cladding on high-rise private residential buildings so residents can feel confident they are secure in their homes.”

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

“Although temporary measures are in place to ensure people living in these buildings are safe, too many owners are treating this as a permanent fix. Others are trying to pass on the costs to residents by threatening them with bills running to thousands of pounds.

“While some building owners have been swift to act, and I thank them for doing the right thing, I am now calling time on the delay tactics of others.”

The latest figures show that 156 private buildings are yet to start works on removing and replacing ACM cladding, compared to 23 in the social sector.

Building owners will have three months to access the new fund. Building owners and developers who have already fully funded the remediation of buildings are Pemberstone, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Barratt Developments, Fraser Properties, Legal & General, Mace and Peabody.

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