Government commits £200m to fund ACM cladding removal on privately owned towers

Yesterday, the government said it has already fully funded this work in social housing development, and had identified 176 private high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding.

It said 156 private buildings are still waiting for work to begin to remove and replace ACM cladding, compared with 23 in the social housing sector.

Private building owners will have three months to access the new fund.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it “will look carefully at those who fail to remediate and consider what further action can be taken”.

Prime minister Theresa May said: “It is of paramount importance that everybody is able to feel and be safe in their homes.

“That’s why we asked building owners in the private sector to take action and make sure appropriate safety measures were in place.

“And we’ve seen a number of private building owners doing the right thing and taking responsibility, but unfortunately too many are continuing to pass on the costs of removal and replacement to leaseholders.”

Mr Brokenshire said: “Although temporary measures are in place to ensure people living in these buildings are safe, too many owners are treating this as a permanent fix. Others are trying to pass on the costs to residents by threatening them with bills running to thousands of pounds.

“While some building owners have been swift to act, and I thank them for doing the right thing, I am now calling time on the delay tactics of others. If these reckless building owners won’t act, the government will.”

As a condition of funding, the government will require the building owner to take “reasonable steps to recover the costs from those responsible for the presence of the unsafe cladding”.

High-rise buildings are defined as those above 18 metres in height.

The UK Cladding Action Group described the announcement as “a very significant step towards our shared goal of making all our homes safe”.