Local authorities have taken action on at least 30 buildings with ACM cladding so far, amid frustration that some building owners aren’t remediating their properties quickly enough.
The news emerged after Conservative peer Lord Bourne asked in a parliamentary written question whether building owners would be held to account for a lack of remediation.
Housing minister Lord Greenhalgh replied that it was clear some buildings were being remediated “too slowly”
He said: “We have written to the relevant local authorities, making sure they are aware of insufficient progress. The Joint Inspection Team, a team set up and funded by government and hosted by the Local Government Association, is providing support to local authorities to take enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004.”
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson confirmed that enforcement action has been or is being taken against at least 30 buildings with ACM cladding, including eight with support from the Joint Inspection Team.
The spokesperson added: “Building owners are responsible for ensuring their buildings and tenants are safe. We’ve provided £1.6bn to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding and, while there has been considerable progress, it’s unacceptable that some owners have yet to take action.
The government’s Joint Inspection Team has provided £10m for fire and rescue services to assess and inspect all high-rise residential buildings by the end of 2021.
