Cladding remediation programme criticised

Ministers have come under fire for spending just 9% of a special fund set up to deal with dangerous cladding across Scotland, seven years after the Grenfell tragedy, as reported by The Herald.

A total of 72 people lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, with the cladding believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.

Following the disaster, the Scottish Government set up a cladding remediation programme but has been strongly criticised for failing to act quickly enough to ensure safety.

A May update reveals that only £8,570,790 out of the £97.1 million received from Westminster has been spent to deal with potentially flammable cladding.

The Scottish Government’s Cladding Remediation Programme was established to address fire safety risks and the negative impacts on property transactions due to unsafe cladding.

Spending figures reveal slow progress

In 2021/22, just £241,280 had been spent.

To date, £7.448 million has been spent in the Glasgow area, £592,539 in Aberdeen, £405,726 in Edinburgh, and £87,653 in Dundee.

There are currently only 105 buildings in the cladding remediation programme, and they are part of an assessment pilot.

Safety experts have raised concerns about at least 95 high-rise blocks and nearly 300 other buildings, including schools, hospitals, and care homes, found to contain high-pressure laminate panels.

Further analysis showed that 23 of Scotland’s high-rise buildings have polyethylene type ACM panels, a similar combustible material to that found at Grenfell.

Scottish Conservative shadow social security, housing, and equalities secretary Miles Briggs said: “The SNP are shamefully continuing to progress at a snail’s pace in spending this money.

“It is completely unacceptable that they have still spent such a small sum in removing dangerous cladding from buildings across Scotland, which is continuing to put homeowners at risk.”

Legislative actions and comparisons with England

A Housing Cladding Remediation Bill passed unanimously at Holyrood in May, giving ministers further powers to assess and carry out remediation on buildings with unsafe cladding.

This legislation followed stricter cladding regulations in Scotland, introduced in 2005 after the fatal Garnock Court fire in 1999.

In comparison, the UK Government’s scheme in England has identified 3,824 residential buildings with unsafe cladding, with 42% having started or completed remediation works.

Sean Clerkin, campaign co-ordinator of the Scottish Tenants’ Organisation, criticised the Scottish Government’s efforts: “The Scottish Government’s actions to date have been woefully inadequate in tackling flammable cladding in Scotland when comparing that to the actions taken in England.”

Investigation into Grenfell fire continues

The investigation into the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people, is ongoing, with final decisions on potential criminal charges expected by the end of 2026.

The Metropolitan Police have generated 27,000 lines of inquiry and more than 12,000 witness statements.

Potential offences include corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Cladding Remediation Programme is a demand-led programme.

“Where issues have been identified within a building, we have ensured financial provision has been given and action taken.

“Assessment, mitigation, and where needed, remediation is complex, but we are focused on addressing barriers to delivery, increasing capacity and setting standards for both Scottish Government and developer-led remediation in Scotland.”