LGA backs Inside Housing’s cladding campaign
The Local Government Association (LGA) has backed Inside Housing’s campaign calling on the government to fund the removal of dangerous cladding from private residential blocks.
The LGA, which represents councils in England, declared its backing for the campaign today with chair Lord Gary Porter, a Conservative peer, saying the current impasse “cannot and must not continue”.
Since the Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017, a total of 176 private residential blocks have been discovered with dangerous cladding but removal work has completed on just 10.
On many others, leaseholders are facing demands for crippling bills of up to £80,000 each to fund the removal work.
The government has been pushing private building owners and developers to pay for the work with some success but this progress has stalled, with leaseholders still facing bills in dozens of blocks.
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Lord Porter said: “Leaseholders are not to blame for the cladding crisis and no leaseholder should be burdened with the cost of replacing dangerous cladding systems on the building in which they live.
“We have been pressing the government to act on this issue since 2017. While the secretary of state has succeeded in getting some developers to do the right thing and cover the costs of remediation, too many leaseholders are suffering stress on a daily basis because it is still not clear who will pay to fix their homes.
“This cannot and must not continue.”
Inside Housing’s campaign End Our Cladding Scandal is being run alongside UK Cladding Action Group and Manchester Cladiators – which represent residents of affected towers across the country.
It already has the support of a wide range of backers including the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing, Grenfell United and the Royal Institute of British Architects.
It calls for a public fund to deal with all dangerous cladding systems, a two-year timescale to do it, and reimbursement for any costs already incurred for interim measures, such as a waking watch.
End Our Cladding Scandal: campaign aims
- Government provides a fund to cover the cost of cladding removal and remedial works on private blocks
- A firm timescale is set out of no more than two years for the work to be carried out
- Residents are reimbursed for the interim fire safety costs incurred, and funding is to be provided for necessary internal fire safety measures identified by a competent fire risk assessor
- Martin Hilditch, editor, Inside Housing
- Manchester Cladiators
- UK Cladding Action Group
- Natasha Elcock, chair, Grenfell United
- Sadiq Khan, mayor of London
- Kate Henderson, chief executive, National Housing Federation
- Terrie Alafat, chief executive, Chartered Institute of Housing
- Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
- Lord Gary Porter, chair of the Local Government Association
- Polly Neate, chief executive, Shelter
- Jane Duncan, chair of the expert advisory group on fire safety, RIBA
- Andy Dark, assistant general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union
- Christina McAnea, assistant general secretary, UNISON
- Sir Peter Bottomley, Conservative MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform
- Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP, and member of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform
- Mark Amesbury, shadow employment minister and Labour MP for Weaver Vale
- Emma Dent Coad, former Labour MP for North Kensington
- Lucy Powell, Labour MP for Manchester Central
- Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
- George Howarth, Labour MP for Knowsley
- Graham Stringer, Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton
- Rob Ellis, presenter, Capital FM
- John Biggs, mayor of Tower Hamlets
- Paul Dennett, mayor of Salford
- Suzanne Richards, councillor and executive member for housing and regeneration on behalf of all Manchester's Labour Councillors
- Sir Richard Leese, Labour councillor and leader Manchester City Council
- John Leech, Manchester Liberal Democrat leader on behalf of all Manchester’s Liberal Democrat councillors
- Darren Rodwell, executive member for housing at London Councils and leader of Barking and Dagenham Council
- George Clarke, TV Architect
- David Walker, bishop of Manchester
- Graham Tomlin, bishop of Kensington
- John Roberts, founder of AO.com
- Josh Beaumont, professional rugby player, Sale Sharks and resident of affected building
- Bill Beaumont, former England rugby captain
- Jeremy Dyson, co-founder of the League of Gentlemen
- Andy Moss, actor who has appeared on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and resident
- Ross Mullan, actor who has appeared in Game of Thrones
- Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, musician
- Nour-eddine Aboudihaj, spokesperson for Justice4Grenfell
- Mike Leonard, chief executive, Building Alliance
- Kate Kendrick, founder, National Leasehold Campaign
- Martin Boyd, chair, Leasehold Knowledge Partnership
- Paula Higgins, chief executive, HomeOwners Alliance
- Mark Henderson, chief executive, Home Group
- Ben Clay, founding member of the Tenants Union
- Hilda Palmer, acting chair of the Hazards Campaign
- Susan Bright, professor of law, University of Oxford
- Gill Kernick, consultant and former Grenfell Resident
- Phil Murphy, fire safety expert and tower block resident
This list will be updated. Please email peter.apps@insidehousing.co.uk if you want to support the campaign
