Accelerating the remediation of buildings with unsafe cladding in England

[edit] Background and inquiry response

On 4 November, 2024 the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report 'Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio', that highlighted issues with cladding remediation programmes, transparency and target dates. This followed publication of the Grenfell Inquiry in September, which examined the root causes of the fire in June 2017 that resulted in the deaths of 72 people. In the report the NAO examined how well MHCLG is maximising the identification of unsafe buildings and driving progress with remediation works.

The report had two key recommendations, saying the government should publish a target date for ending cladding remediation works, and should provide greater transparency on remediation performance. It highlighted that up to 60% of buildings with dangerous cladding have not yet been identified, and that the remediation of buildings within government’s portfolio is slow. MHCLG modelling indicated an end date of 2035 for completing cladding remediation, but without any published milestones, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents having no idea when their building will be made safe.

It highlighted that most leaseholders were at that point protected from remediation costs, but residents often continue to suffer significant emotional and financial distress. With a total estimated costs of £16.6bn and the Building Safety Levy yet to start, the report highlighted the risks of keeping taxpayer contributions capped at £5.1bn.

This article summarises key elements of the government plan to accelerate the remediation process and progress. For the full report see 'Policy paper - Remediation Acceleration Plan' published 2 December 2024

[edit] First report of the five programmes in one portfolio

The NAO, the UK’s independent spending watchdog noted that the recommendations in its report, were in effect the first report on government remediation since, the five programmes were brought together into a single portfolio in 2023.

• The ACM programme: Which has been indicated as closing soon. Represents grant funding to support remediation of buildings over 18m with ACM cladding, made up from the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund (PSCRF) and the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund (SSCRF).
• The Building Safety Fund (BSF): Now closed outside of London, represents funding to support remediation of high-rise buildings with non-ACM flammable cladding.
• The Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS): Grant funding to support remediation of buildings over 11m outside London and 11–18 metres inside London, via Homes England, appointed to stream and automate the scheme.
• The Developer Remediation Programme, plus the Developer Remediation Contract and Responsible Actors Scheme from 2023 seeking oversight of self-remediation activity by developers.
• The Social Housing Programme (from summer 2023) to monitor self-remediation in the social housing sector.

[edit] Government process, programmes and progress

The recent government policy paper confirms that the Grenfell Tower tragedy exposed severe failures in housing safety, resulting in the 72 lives lost. The government is committed to addressing the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry and ensuring lasting reforms to prevent similar disasters. Unsafe cladding remains a critical issue, with thousands of buildings identified as high risk. While 95% of the highest-risk high-rise buildings with Grenfell-type cladding have seen some remediation progress, only 30% of those identified as unsafe have completed works. Approx 4,000–7,000 buildings remain unidentified.

Landlords are legally obligated to ensure fire safety in high-risk buildings, including assessments under the PAS 9980 framework. If risks are identified, regulators can mandate that landlords address defects. Developers responsible for unsafe cladding are expected to remediate under contracts, while government-funded schemes provide financial support for other cases. Social housing providers may also apply for aid.

The types of schemes, a description and progress so far are described in the report.

The plan aims to increase remediation speed, ensure leaseholder protections, and provide updates by 2025, aiming for completion of high-risk building remediation by 2029.

[edit] The problem as described in the remediation acceleration plan

Unsafe cladding still affects many residential buildings, with slow remediation causing distress and financial strain for residents. Key barriers include:

• Landlord inaction: Many landlords fail to assess or remediate properties.
• Limited enforcement capacity: Regulatory agencies lack resources and expertise to handle scale of the issue.
• Social housing challenges: Providers face funding and capability constraints, leading to uneven progress.
• Developer disputes: Disagreements over access, work scope, and approvals delay remediation.
• Skilled labour shortages: The supply of qualified professionals and contractors is limited.
• Resident impact: High insurance costs, unsafe conditions, and poor communication worsen experiences.

[edit] Objectives of the remediation acceleration Plan

The plan aims to:

• Fix buildings faster (Objective 1) - By prioritising high-risk cases and expediting remediation for newly identified unsafe buildings.
• Identify all unsafe buildings (Objective 2) - By strengthening assessment efforts and maintaining comprehensive building records.
• Support residents (Objective 3) - Through financial protections, improved communication, and better remediation experiences.

By 2029 the goals are to complete the remediation of all high-rise (18m+) buildings under government-funded schemes. Ensure all 11m+ buildings are either remediated, scheduled for completion, or face penalties for non-compliance.

Key Actions:

• Legal enforcement: Landlords will be obligated to act or face severe penalties.
• Regulatory empowerment: New powers and resources for authorities to enforce remediation and tackle negligent actors.
• Developer accountability: Targets to remediate 80% of buildings by 2026 and 100% by 2027 must be met.
• Social housing acceleration: Increased funding and a long-term strategy will support faster remediation.
• Resident protections: Measures include reducing insurance costs, extending the Waking Watch Replacement Fund, and allowing leaseholders to sublet.

The government, committed to progress will update the plan in 2025 and continue identifying unsafe 11m+ buildings, intensifying data assessments and tightening building evaluation standards.

[edit] Objective 1: Fix Buildings Faster

Tackling Delays in Remediation: Despite progress, many unsafe buildings remain unaddressed seven years after Grenfell. Nearly a third of eligible buildings from 2020 have yet to start remediation. To accelerate fixes, landlords must act swiftly or face enforcement. The government has set deadlines—March 2025 for high-risk buildings and 2025-end for all high-rise private residential buildings. Over 50 local authorities have already enforced action on 483 buildings.

Legislative Measures for Accountability: The government proposes a legal duty on building owners to fix unsafe cladding within clear timelines, backed by penalties, a new criminal offence, and expanded regulatory powers. Regulators like the Building Safety Regulator and local authorities will receive increased resources, including funding to double enforcement activities and access to expert legal support.

Transparency and Ownership Clarity: To identify decision-makers obstructing remediation, legislation will mandate disclosure of beneficial ownership chains. Building registers will be expanded to include this information, improving accountability.

Holding the Worst Offenders Accountable: Direct action against non-compliant landlords has already benefited 900 households. Additional funding will enable more remediation and recovery orders. Enhanced collaboration with local authorities and legal action will target persistent offenders.

Local Coordination for Faster Remediation: Metro mayors will lead regional remediation plans, supported by new funding. Quarterly meetings with the Minister for Building Safety will ensure progress. Collaboration among regulators will be guided by new enforcement strategies.

Supporting Social Housing Providers: Social landlords, responsible for over 2,500 unsafe buildings, face challenges like funding and supply chain constraints. The government plans to streamline funding rules, increase allocations, and accelerate remediation through partnerships with developers, setting deadlines for agreements by July 2025.

Industry Accountability: Developers must meet strict targets to remediate unsafe buildings. A joint government-developer plan outlines commitments to improve resident communication, expedite works, and resolve disputes. Formal performance reviews and legal actions will ensure compliance.

Strengthening the Supply Chain: The government will boost remediation capacity by publishing pipeline data, enhancing training for cladders, and leveraging immigration policies. Benchmarking costs will ensure efficient fund utilization.

Actions Against Manufacturers: Post-Grenfell findings revealed unsafe practices by manufacturers. The government will ban contracts with implicated companies unless they demonstrate reform and compensation. A revamped regulatory regime will introduce stricter sanctions to deter future violations.

[edit] Objective 2: Identify All Buildings with Unsafe Cladding

Many landlords are failing to assess fire risks, leaving between 4,000 to 7,000 buildings over 11 meters with unsafe cladding unreported. While buildings over 18m are required to register with the Building Safety Regulator, those between 11-18m remain unregulated, creating uncertainty about their safety and remediation needs.

To address this, the government proposes legislation to require the registration of 11-18m residential buildings. This will provide a complete register of buildings above 11m, improving the speed and accuracy of identifying those in need of remediation.

Additionally, the government plans to tighten building assessment rules, ensuring up-to-date assessments identify unsafe cladding. By April 2025, Homes England will have assessed around 200,000 high-risk building records, identifying properties requiring action.

Over 20,000 records have been reviewed, and more than 1,000 freeholders have been contacted for confirmation. This information will be shared with local authorities, regulators, and metro mayors as part of regional remediation plans.

To empower leaseholders, the government has launched a ‘Tell Us’ tool, allowing them to raise concerns directly. Homes England will follow up on these concerns and, if necessary, refer buildings for enforcement action, keeping leaseholders informed throughout the process.

[edit] Objective 3: Support Residents

The government is focused on better supporting residents impacted by building safety issues, particularly those dealing with remediation processes. Many face unforeseen costs, uncertainty, and safety concerns. To address these, the government aims to put residents’ needs at the center of remediation, ensuring clear communication and minimizing disruption. Contractors will be held accountable for adhering to the Code of Practice, and developers will be required to integrate it into their plans.

To keep residents safe during remediation, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will continue inspecting cladding projects, and landlords must update fire risk assessments during works. Additional measures are planned to help leaseholders, including clarifying responsibilities for managers appointed by the courts and supporting leaseholders in difficult circumstances, such as those affected by the liquidation of freeholders.

The government is also working to alleviate excessive insurance premiums for leaseholders in unsafe buildings, exploring ways to reduce liabilities and costs. They are pushing for transparency in insurance fees, and new consultations will ensure leaseholders are charged fairly. Further protections will ensure residents can recover unfounded costs and provide financial support for those facing excessive costs during remediation.

The Building Safety Levy will raise funds for remediation and hold developers accountable for their role in the crisis, aiming to recover up to £700 million from the largest developers.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Accountability.
• Accountable person.
• ACM cladding.
• Building Safety Act.
• Building Safety Regulator.
• Cladding Assurance Register CAR.
• CDM
• CIOB reacts to Government's Developer Remediation Contract announcement.
• Cladding remediation programmes, transparency and target date.
• Duty holder.
• Fire.
• Government building safety remediation data releases.
• Government response to the Building a Safer Future consultation.
• Grenfell articles.
• Grenfell Tower Fire.
• Grenfell Tower index.
• Hackitt review of the building regulations and fire safety, final report.
• Health and safety file.
• Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024.
• Non-ACM cladding.
• Principal accountable person.
• Principal contractor.
• Protecting tenants and leaseholders from unsafe cladding.
• Radical action to speed up removal of unsafe cladding.
• Responsible Actors Scheme RAS.
• Responsible Developers Scheme RDS.
• Roof terraces and higher-risk buildings.
• RSH publishes latest fire safety remediation report for English social housing.
• The Cladding Safety Scheme and the Building Safety Fund.
• The Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill 2023.
• The importance of digitising data to support cladding remediation and facilitate safer housing
• What the political party manifestos say on housebuilding and building safety.
• Why construction SaaS is a cladding remediation game-changer.

[edit] External links

Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio' published 4 November, 2024

'Policy paper - Remediation Acceleration Plan' published 2 December 2024