Quayside residents desperate for good news on cladding crisis as fire safety bill condemned
Leaseholders at St Ann s Quay are still waiting to find out whether they will face a £2 million repairs bill to remove dangerous cladding and repair other defects
16:00, 30 APR 2021
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Fearful residents of a Newcastle apartment block with dangerous cladding are “desperate for some good news”, as campaigners plead with the government to ensure they are not forced to pay the huge costs of essential fire safety repairs.
Survivors and bereaved relatives from the Grenfell Tower disaster have condemned the Government’s “indefensible” Fire Safety Bill, which is set to leave hundreds of thousands of leaseholders paying to remove dangerous cladding from their buildings.
The Bill, introduced in response to the deadly 2017 blaze, is set to become law after a final push to amend it was defeated in the House of Lords on Wednesday night.
Although the Government had insisted that leaseholders would not bear the cost of removing the flammable materials, critics say the Bill will leave people liable for costs of up to £50,000.
Following the vote, Grenfell United said in a statement to the PA news agency: “We’re deeply disappointed that ministers have broken their promises to leaseholders who have done absolutely nothing wrong. The Government’s position on this is indefensible.”
BBC News
Published
image copyrightPA Media
Cladding campaigners have vowed to fight on after MPs rejected attempts to shield leaseholders from fire safety costs.
It follows a long running parliamentary battle over who should pay to fix defects and faults following the Grenfell blaze four years ago.
Peers had repeatedly tried to stop the owners of blocks of flats from passing the costs on to leaseholders.
Critics say the rug has been pulled out from homeowners.
On Wednesday, MPs voted to remove changes to the Fire Safety Bill, despite a rebellion by 32 Conservatives.
When the Bill then returned to the House of Lords, attempts to reinsert the changes were defeated by 242 votes to 153.
Survivors and bereaved relatives from the Grenfell Tower disaster have condemned the Government’s “indefensible” Fire Safety Bill, which is set to leave hundreds of thousands of leaseholders paying to remove dangerous cladding from their buildings.
The Bill, introduced in response to the deadly 2017 blaze, is set to become law after a final push to amend it was defeated in the House of Lords on Wednesday night.
Although the Government had insisted that leaseholders would not bear the cost of removing the flammable materials, critics say the Bill will leave people liable for costs of up to £50,000.
Following the vote, Grenfell United said in a statement to the PA news agency: “We’re deeply disappointed that ministers have broken their promises to leaseholders who have done absolutely nothing wrong. The Government’s position on this is indefensible.”
29
th April 2021 10:25 am
MPs have slammed the government’s response to the cladding scandal in a report calling for more funding to make buildings safe and prevent the financial burden from falling on leaseholders.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (HCLGC) says current plans fail to deliver on ministers’ promises that leaseholders should not be left to foot the bill for the removal of cladding.
The government has refuted the criticisms, calling the MPs’ report “deeply flawed” .
It comes after yet another vote in the House of Commons yesterday blocked an amendment by the Lords which sought to protect leaseholders from remediation costs.