Southwark leaseholders endangered by unsafe cladding have received a £500,000 boost from central government – but experts say it’s “way off” what is needed.
On December 9, the housing department announced £8 million is being given to local authorities to help crack down on freeholders who refuse to pay for repairs.
Southwark’s £512,897 share will help it to bring remediation contribution orders (RCOs) against reluctant developers – legal mechanisms that force them to cough up.
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But Giles Grover from the campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal said it’s not enough and RCOs are untested.
He said: “£8 million is a start but we don’t know how far it’s going to go because there are still too many building owners across the country avoiding their responsibilities.
“Yes, it’s good that local authorities are being given some funding to bring action, but these powers are new and have not yet been fully tested in the courts with the associated costs and time still uncertain.”
Passed in April, RCOs were brought in as part of the Building Safety Act 2022. The first action using this mechanism was launched against developer Grey GR in October but a final decision has not been made yet.
If developers fight these actions in the courts, costs could escalate, dwarfing the £500,000 offered to Southwark Council.
Mr Grover added: “It’s a step in the right direction but we’re still some way off an end to the building safety crisis.”
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The government has already set aside £5.1n for fire safety repairs, with two to three billion to be paid for by developers through tax over ten years.
But not all developers have pledged to fund life-saving repair works, leaving some local authorities to pursue legal action such as this.
Last June, the London Fire Brigade announced that a staggering 98 Southwark blocks required waking watches and interim fire safety measures due to defects.
Southwark community safety chief Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle said: “We’ve been taking enforcement action against private residential building owners who haven’t completed necessary cladding work for some years now. This is part of our thorough fire safety measures that look to keep people safe.
“However, we have far more high-rise buildings than many other London boroughs, meaning that this funding will support a much-needed expansion of our work.”