Councils told they are responsible for removal of cladding from private tower blocks

A Government minister has told local authorities they are responsible for ensuring that dangerous cladding panels are removed from dozens of privately owned tower blocks.

In the latest building safety release from the MHCLG, it was revealed there were 272 tower blocks in the private sector in need of remediation works. Of these 48 had started or finished remediation work, 158 had plans drawn up or in development, while no known plans existed for the remaining 69 blocks.

The Government has made money available for social landlords to pay for the removal of cladding from buildings in their ownership, but has repeatedly refused to fund removal works in the private sector. Instead it has relied on ever more vocal warnings to building owners that they needed to take action. In November ministers told councils they should organise for the work to be done and to reclaim costs from the owners.

Speaking in a debate in the House of Lords last month, Lord Nick Bourne, under-secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, repeated this sentiment, saying: “The ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the cladding comes off those (69 blocks) rests with local authorities. They can require the private owners to take action.”

Following this and speaking in the same debate, Lord Gary Porter, who chairs the Local Government Association, raised concerns about this. “Councils have to operate inside the law of the land, and that doesn’t allow us just to go in and take off cladding from other people’s buildings.”

It is understood the Government plan involves making a change to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System to ensure that cladding was covered by existing guidance, even though this has only been used for correcting faults like damp in privately rented properties. Councils would probably require a court order to carry out work if the building owner refused.

By Patrick Mooney, editor