The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has renewed his commitment to work hand-in-hand with the Government, London Councils and the London Fire Brigade to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11 metres in London.
In the nearly eight years since the Grenfell Tower fire, the Mayor has made it a priority to seek justice for the bereaved, survivors and local community, while also ensuring that Londoners are safe in their homes.
This has included bringing in higher safety standards than the rest of England as part of the London Plan and City Hall’s own funding programmes, as well as taking swift action and advocating for quicker remediation of unsafe buildings.
Under Sadiq’s leadership, the London Fire Brigade has also completed all of the recommendations made in the first phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and has made significant reforms to its policies, procedures and equipment to ensure the force is better prepared, organised and equipped to fight fires and keep all Londoners safe.
A new coalition, known as the Joint Remediation Partnership Board, met for the first time yesterday (Tuesday 6 May) to establish and deliver a plan to end the cladding crisis in London. Chaired jointly by the Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, and Building Safety Minister, Alex Norris, the board includes representatives from the Government, London Councils, the London Fire Brigade, housing associations and regulatory bodies.
The scale of the building safety crisis in London is unprecedented due to the volume and concentration of buildings with unsafe cladding, in addition to the fact that London has four times the national average of high-rise homes. There are currently 1513 buildings in Government remediation programmes that have not yet started on site, and progress to remove dangerous cladding from residential buildings had been far too slow under the previous government. Furthermore, there are a range of national and local organisations with differing roles to deliver remediation and take enforcement action against those responsible for fixing unsafe cladding.
The challenge of remediation in London means that a successful plan to accelerate it cannot be led by City Hall alone, but requires a new, formal partnership approach bringing together national, regional and local level partners who will deliver change by coordinating and prioritising the use of powers and resources in London to achieve the Government's targets for removing dangerous cladding. The strategy set by the Board will support the Government’s ambition to ensure that by the end of 2029, all residential buildings over 11m with unsafe cladding nationwide will either have been remediated, have a date for completion, or landlords will be liable for severe penalties for failing to make their buildings safe.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This is a significant step forward in speeding up the removal of dangerous cladding in London, which had been far too slow under the previous Government.
“Everyone deserves the right to live in a safe home – a right denied to the residents of Grenfell Tower. I will not stop until we can say with confidence that the failings which led to this disaster will never be repeated. I will continue to work hand-in-hand with the Government, London Councils, the London Fire Brigade and the sector to take swift action to remove dangerous cladding on buildings as we continue to build a safer London for everyone.”
Building and Fire Safety Minister, Alex Norris, said: “The pace of remediation has been far too slow and nearly eight years on from the Grenfell Fire tragedy far too many people are living in buildings with unsafe cladding.
“This problem is particularly acute in London, which is why I'm pleased to be working with the Deputy Mayor for London and the Greater London Authority to accelerate the pace of remediation work in London, and ensure residents feel safe and secure in their homes.
“Alongside the London Fire Brigade, London Councils and regulators, we are bringing renewed vigour to tackling long-overdue issues with unsafe cladding in the capital.”
Cllr Grace Williams, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing & Regeneration, said: “Boroughs’ overriding priority is to ensure every Londoner is safe – and feels safe – in their home. Faster progress must be made in removing unsafe cladding and it is vital this coalition of key partners help bring together our respective powers, resources and influence to accelerate remediation.
“It is also pivotal that boroughs and our partners have sufficient resources to enforce standards. There is currently a massive squeeze on London’s housing budgets, which makes it harder to modernise buildings and address safety concerns, as well as holding us back from building the new housing we desperately need.
Charlie Pugsley, Deputy Commissioner - Director of Prevention, Protection, and Operational Policy at London Fire Brigade, says: "The creation of the Joint Remediation Partnership Board, and continued support from the Mayor of London, will be key in helping to address the ongoing challenges being faced across London's built environment.
“We support this action being taken to drive forward the remediation required across London's high and medium rise residential properties. It is unacceptable that leaseholders and residents continue to face such uncertainty and stress, and in many cases, a significant financial burden, due to these buildings with dangerous cladding still not being remediated.
“Those responsible for residential buildings have a legal obligation and we will continue to work with all stakeholders to identify and address the risks to keep Londoners safe."
