- 100% of high-rise social sector buildings have unsafe ACM replaced or work underway
- Around 95% of all high-rise ACM buildings fully remediated or have work on site
- More buildings on site with safety works last year than ever before, despite pandemic
- Ministers renew calls for safety work to be completed as quickly as possible
All high-rise buildings in the social sector and student buildings are now fully remediated or have work underway to remove unsafe ACM cladding, according to stats released today (21 January 2021).
Around 95% of the highest risk buildings with unsafe cladding similar to that found on Grenfell Tower have been made safe or have work underway compared to a year ago; with 159 buildings starting work last year compared to 90 in 2019 – representing more buildings on site with remediation work in 2020 than at any point previously.
However, ministers continue to press building owners to take urgent action to make homes safer.
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
Today’s stats show that – despite the pandemic – significant progress has continued to have been made with remediation work either complete or on site on around 95% of buildings, rising to 100% in all social or student high rise buildings.
This is a big step forwards. While there is still more to do, we are helping make the highest risk buildings with dangerous cladding safer, more quickly.
Building Safety Minister Lord Greenhalgh said:
Building owners are responsible for making sure that their buildings, and the people who live in them, are safe. However, some need to do more and it’s unacceptable a minority are yet to start work.
We are in contact with the remaining buildings where remediation has not started and we are clear if work does not take place urgently we will take further enforcement action.
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the government launched a large-scale programme to identify all high-rise buildings in England with unsafe cladding similar to that found on Grenfell to ensure those homes were prioritised for remediation work to make them safe.
Separately, the government’s £1 billion Building Safety Fund is enabling faster remediation of high-rise buildings with other unsafe cladding and as at 15 January had allocated just under £100 million to projects (£95.9 million).
The official statistics published today show data, as of 31 December 2020, updating on progress in remediation of high-rise buildings in England with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations.
View the latest data on remediation
The end of the year saw 31 buildings completed between November and December 2020, the highest monthly increase last year.
Of the 45 buildings yet to start, 13 were identified last year; 7 are vacant and do not represent a risk to resident safety.
The department has confirmed that remediation work should continue during the pandemic, where it is safe to do so.
See guidance relating to construction work and Covid-19
A protection board has been set up with the Home Office and National Fire Chiefs’ Council to provide further reassurance to residents of high-risk residential blocks that any risks are identified and acted upon.
The Communities Secretary has made up to £10 million a year of funding available to support the board who will provide expert, tailored building checks and inspections, if necessary, on all high-risk residential buildings in England by 2021.
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