Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 15
15
We are concerned that the exclusion of social landlords from the Building Safety Fund and...
Recommendation
We are concerned that the exclusion of social landlords from the Building Safety Fund and waking watch relief fund except in specific circumstances is having negative consequences for the wider social housing sector. While the £12 billion Affordable Homes Programme is welcome, any funds diverted from building new social homes to pay for cladding remediation will still result in fewer, much-needed, new social homes being built. In addition to our recommendation that social housing providers should have full and equal access to the Building Safety Fund, preferably our proposed Comprehensive Building Safety Fund, the Government should: • ensure that social housing providers have full and equal access to the waking watch relief fund; and • carry out and publish an impact assessment on the knock-on effects of fire safety remediation on maintaining existing social homes and building new social homes. (Paragraph 47) Cladding Remediation—Follow-up 25
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.