THE GOVERNMENT announced statistics for the year on removing and replacing aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, including that all social housing has had ACM replaced or is in the process of removing it.
In a press release, the government reported that ‘all high-rise buildings in the social sector and student buildings are now fully remediated or have work underway’ to remove combustible ACM cladding, with 100% of social housing high rises with ACM having had it replaced or begun. In turn, 95% of all high rise buildings with ACM have had it either fully remediated or have begun works, with more buildings having workers on site ‘than ever before’, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 95% figure relates to the ‘highest risk buildings’ with ACM, with 159 buildings having seen work start in 2020 compared to 90 in 2019, ‘representing more buildings on site with remediation work’ last year ‘than at any point previously’. Ministers however said they would ‘continue to press building owners to take urgent action to make homes safer’.
The government also revealed that its £1bn building safety fund had allocated £95.9m to projects as of 15 January, ‘enabling faster remediation of high-rise buildings with other unsafe cladding’ materials. The data revealed that 31 buildings completed ACM remediation between November and December 2020, ‘the highest monthly increase last year’, and of 45 buildings yet to start works, 13 were identified last year and seven ‘are vacant and do not represent a risk to resident safety’.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed in turn that remediation work ‘should continue during the pandemic, where it is safe to do so’, with the protection board set up by the Home Office and National Fire Chiefs Council aiming to ‘provide further reassurance to residents of high-risk residential blocks that any risks are identified and acted upon’.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has provided up to £10m a year of funding to support the board, which will ‘provide expert, tailored building checks and inspections, if necessary, on all high-risk residential buildings in England by 2021’.
Mr Jenrick stated: ‘Today’s stats show that – despite the pandemic – significant progress has continued to have been made with remediation work either complete or on site on around 95% of buildings, rising to 100% in all social or student high rise buildings. This is a big step forwards. While there is still more to do, we are helping make the highest risk buildings with dangerous cladding safer, more quickly.’
Building Safety and Fire Minister Lord Greenhalgh added: ‘Building owners are responsible for making sure that their buildings, and the people who live in them, are safe. However, some need to do more and it’s unacceptable a minority are yet to start work. We are in contact with the remaining buildings where remediation has not started and we are clear if work does not take place urgently we will take further enforcement action.’
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