Unsafe Cladding

The cladding issue is a real scandal and many people’s lives have been put on hold for the last two to three years. Some people have gone bankrupt, others are trapped in flats they cannot sell as they are valued at £0 and most live with the worry of fire breaking our. The amounts of money the residents are paying out in waking watches is truly horrific. So the most important thing is for the government to coverall the costs of making these buildings safe ( whatever their height) and underwrite all liabilities of residents.

Sorting out who is legally responsible will actually take years and years and years and is actually very complex (and as said above, many firms are no longer in business). Both the government ( including previous governments) and the building industry must dread cases going to court as it will reveal changes in legislation, responsibility for inspections, enforcement and wholesale disregard of whatever regulations were in place anyway. The truly shocking facts emerging through the Grenfell enquiry show the cavalier disregard exhibited at every level for the safety of the cladding materials and thus the residents.

So basically no residents should be financially penalised for the wholesale failures of others. The government should provide all the money required immediately ( we all know that there is a magic money tree) and then decide whether and how to pursue all those truly responsible - builders, developers, cladding providers, councils, central government etc. I really can’t see that happening as their are too man6 skeletons in all those cupboards. Paying up will be the least politically damaging imo. But the current offer is nowhere near good enough.

Also shouldn’t local councils be checking that materials used are safe. What is then the role of a budding inspector?

vampirequeen I didn’t realise the financial support only applied to buildings taller than 18m . This is unacceptable. Any cladding used by builders that causes a fire risk should be replaced. Also why is this stuff allowed to be manufactured in the first place?

As I understand it many of the responsible companies have gone out of business.

I agree wholeheartedly. The builders should be made to correct the problem.

They're only going to give money to buildings that are taller than 18m. If you live in a building that is smaller then you have to apply for and pay back a loan. Why is cladding less dangerous on a 17m building?

I should add more importantly people’s lives are at risk.