Cladding backlog jumps 12%, new figures reveal
Numbers of buildings awaiting remedial cladding work are up almost 4,700 this year, according to shocking new data.
Shocking new data shows there has been a 12% jump in the backlog of buildings with cladding awaiting remedial work.
The number of residential blocks being monitored for potential remediation by Government programmes has increased to 4,697 since the end of January this year.
While completed projects are up 22.2%, the number of buildings waiting for work to start has also risen, underlining the scale of the backlog, according to inspection platform Property Inspect.
Building Safety Regulator approvals for remediation applications are taking 33 weeks to process.
Possible charges
The news comes as the Metropolitan Police sent 20 files relating to 20 companies and organisations and 54 individuals in connection with the Grenfell Tower fire, to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Met Police is asking the CPS to consider charges including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences and misconduct in public office.
The CPS has committed to making the charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the fire in June 2027.
It is more than nine years now since the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, prompting action to remove unsafe cladding.
New levy
A Building Safety Levy on new development comes into force today, with some of the highest charges set to top £100 per square metre.
Money alone will not clear the backlog.”
Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Property Inspect, says: “The Building Safety Levy marks an important step in addressing one of the biggest challenges to emerge from the building safety crisis, because it creates a dedicated mechanism for the development sector to contribute towards the cost of putting unsafe buildings right.
“However, money alone will not clear the backlog. The latest figures show that the number of buildings being monitored for remediation continues to grow, while thousands of buildings remain somewhere in the remediation pipeline.”
Funding extended
She adds: “We need to make sure that the funding, skills, and capacity required to move these buildings through the process are available at the same time.”
In July, it was announced that cladding funding had been extended to low-rise buildings. Dangerous cladding would be removed from unsafe buildings under 11 metres for the first time.
