Uptick in number of buildings identified as needing fire safety work

The number of buildings in need of works to address fire safety risks has seen a sudden uptick, the first monthly figures released since the conclusion of the Grenfell Tower inquiry have shown.

Some 141 more buildings were identified in August as being eligible for one of several Government schemes aimed at removing flammable cladding or rectifying other fire risks.

The rise is larger than in previous months as social housing providers and developers have recorded a swathe of blocks with possible issues in their quarterly updates to the Government.

By comparison, some 17 new buildings were identified in the previous month’s data, and 38 in the June data before that.

The total number marked for remediation works across England now stands at 4,771, of which 29% – or 1,392 buildings – have been completed.

Works on 985 buildings are under way, and 2,394 are “in programme” but remediation has not yet started.

Several schemes have been set up following the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire which are aimed at rectifying different safety issues.

These included the Building Safety Fund (BSF) aimed at blocks over 18 metres tall, initiatives for the private and social housing sectors to remove ACM (aluminium composite material) cladding similar to that on the west London tower, and the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) aimed at buildings over 11 metres tall.

The inquiry into the fire at the west London Grenfell Tower concluded in early September.

Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick found the blaze, which killed 72 people, was the result of “decades of failure” by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.

Sir Keir Starmer issued a public apology on behalf of the British state and said he was “frustrated” by the speed of remediating buildings identified as unsafe, signalling he wanted to speed it up.

A housing minister has since claimed there could be up to 7,000 buildings whose owners have yet to apply for the CSS, on top of the 4,771 already in the combined works programme.

Rushanara Ali told the Commons those responsible had “no excuse” and risked facing enforcement action if they did not come forward to apply for the scheme.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “The progress on remediation has been too slow – and this Government is taking action to ensure that dangerous buildings are urgently dealt with.

“The full force of Government will be brought to bear to make sure building owners fix this and people have the safe and secure homes that they deserve.

“We are ramping up work with regulators and local authorities and using new tools to identify properties with plans to accelerate the pace of remediation to be announced in the autumn.”