Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Paragraph: 49
The Government must stop pitting the building safety crisis against the housing crisis.
Recommendation
The Government must stop pitting the building safety crisis against the housing crisis. Without access to funds for remediation where social tenants live, residents of social housing are paying the price through the diversion of funds from maintaining their homes and other vital services provided by housing associations and councils. Those on waiting lists and those who are homeless are paying the price through the decimation of planned new builds for affordable homes, with one in 10 planned developments axed. The principle that a leaseholder should be protected from costs, while a tenant, perhaps a neighbour in the same block, should contribute through their rent, is deeply unfair. Social landlords must have full access to funds for building safety remediation—ideally our recommended Comprehensive Building Safety Fund.
Paragraph Reference:
49
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Social housing providers have access to the £400m Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund for the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding systems. Social housing providers were also eligible for the Building Safety Fund for other combustible cladding types provided they could demonstrate during the registration process that the costs of remediation were unaffordable or a threat to their financial viability. They can also submit claims to the Building Safety Fund for the proportion of eligible works which would otherwise be chargeable to residential leaseholders through service charges in their buildings, in line with the Government’s commitment to protect leaseholders from costs. Further details about eligibility, including registered providers of social housing’ eligibility, for the 11-18 metres Remediation Fund will be made available as soon as possible.