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The government must act rapidly on fire safety now that the election is done

The government must urgently turn its attention to creating a plan for the spiralling costs of making buildings safe now that the election is out of the way, writes Helen Evans

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Many high rises in London have a range of fire safety issues (picture: Getty)
Many high rises in London have a range of fire safety issues (picture: Getty)
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The government must turn its attention urgently to creating a plan for the spiralling costs of making buildings safe now that the election is out of the way, writes Helen Evans of @networkhomesuk #ukhousing

The government must act rapidly on fire safety now that the election is done, writes Helen Evans of @networkhomesuk #ukhousing

“How is it possible that so many buildings with full building regulation and control sign-off are found to have hidden defects under the cladding?” Helen Evans of @networkhomesuk asks the government to act fast on fire safety

Now that the general election is over, we hope for greater clarity not just over the future of the UK post-Brexit but also in many other important areas of public policy that have been eclipsed by the Brexit debate and have not featured in the election campaign.

One of these is the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the investigation of buildings with potentially unsafe cladding systems and the impact this is having on the thousands of people who may be fearful for their safety, face large bills for remediation, are putting up with months or years of disruption as works are carried out, and may be unable to sell their homes in the meantime.


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All the parties agree that this country needs hundreds of thousands more affordable homes of all tenures. Housing associations want to help deliver these homes but we have to put the safety of our existing residents first.

Unless we reach an agreement nationally about how the problems being identified should be tackled, how quickly we can achieve remediation and how it’s going to be paid for, there’s a risk that our ability to build new homes will be significantly reduced. We don’t want this, the government doesn’t want it and it doesn’t meet the country’s needs.

“Housing associations carrying out cladding investigations are finding ‘failure’ rates of between 60% and 100%. How is it possible that so many buildings with full building regulation and control sign-off are found to have hidden defects under the cladding?”

The tragedy of Grenfell Tower and the terrible consequences for the people who lost their lives and their families has rightly put building safety at the top of everyone’s priorities where it should always have been.

We have to get it right now and to do so we need to properly understand the scale of the problems but also the causes. Housing associations carrying out cladding investigations are finding ‘failure’ rates of between 60% and 100%. How is it possible that so many buildings with full building regulation and control sign-off are found to have hidden defects under the cladding?

It’s not just aluminium composite material cladding – it’s also compartmentation between homes, timber balconies and decking, high-pressure laminate and flammable insulation. The series of fires that have happened since Grenfell, while less catastrophic in human terms, have destroyed homes and disrupted lives, illustrating the scale of the issues.

Even in low-rise buildings there are risks and questions to be answered. One housing association has estimated that thousands of low-rise homes may need compartmentation fixes to meet building regulation standards. And it’s not just housing association homes – there are thousands of leaseholders stuck and unable to sell in private blocks with cladding issues.

How did it come to this and what are we going to do to make these homes safe without reducing the supply of new homes for those who desperately need them? That is the risk.

The G15 group of London’s largest housing associations have been working together to share potential costs of remediation and to back these up with evidence. Our initial estimates ranged from £1.24bn to £6.87bn.

To put that into perspective, even the middle of the range – £4bn – would represent about a fifth of the total cost of the 60,000 affordable homes that the G15 has committed to building in London. But new homes also generate an additional income that remediation costs do not, making the real financial effect higher.

“Even the middle of the range – £4bn – would represent about a fifth of the total cost of the 60,000 affordable homes that the G15 has committed to building in London. But new homes also generate an additional income that remediation costs do not, making the real financial effect higher”

The impact on each housing association’s plans will vary depending on numerous factors, including how much existing headroom they have and how much recent development they have done. These numbers are not a straight mathematical equation but they are illustrative.

So what can be done? If we can agree a way forward that stops all of us spending millions of pounds on investigations, lawyers and litigation, that would help.

In my view, a series of actions are needed, all of which are urgent but some of which will be achieved more quickly than others.

First, and most urgently, we need a solution that allows the housing market to function in blocks affected. This could be achieved by a fund to underwrite the costs of remedial works so that sales can proceed at market value without purchasers being fearful that they may face huge bills for works.

Second, we need to review and reconsider the guidance issued in the series of notes since the Grenfell fire. There is some evidence that these notes have had unintended consequences for mortgage lending, for example, and in any event – as we have learnt more about the situation we are in – are in need of a comprehensive review.

All stakeholders should work together to produce guidance based on the Hackitt principles of layers of protection.

Finally, we need to agree a means of funding these works in a way that does not draw resources from new supply, either by being top-sliced from the Affordable Housing Programme or by diminishing housing associations’ capacity. I accept that in a country demanding cash for all sorts of very good reasons this may be a tall order, but we need to try – because a good home is the foundation of everything in people’s lives and too many still don’t have one.

Helen Evans, chief executive, Network Homes, and chair, G15

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