Government cracks down on cladding removal

The government has set out new targets to fix unsafe buildings in England as part of a new Remediation Acceleration Plan.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has ordered all 18 metre plus buildings with unsafe cladding to be remediated by the end of 2029, in a new government-funded scheme.    

Buildings 11 metres plus, with unsafe cladding will also either require remediation, have a date for completion, or the landlords will be liable for severe penalties.  

The Grenfell disaster tragically took the lives of 72 people who perished in a terrifying high-rise fire in 2017.

Following the publication of the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report in September 2024, the government began setting out measures to increase the pace of remediation.

The government is working with the Building Safety Regulator, Homes England, the Regulator of Social Housing, metro mayors, local authorities and fire and rescue authorities, to:

• increase the pace of building remediation
• identify buildings at risk
• better protect residents and leaseholders

It will set clear target dates for making buildings safe and will propose to introduce significantly tougher penalties for refusing to act:   

Alongside the plan, the government will publish a joint action plan with developers to accelerate their work to fix buildings for which they are responsible. 

At least 29 developers, covering more than 95 per cent of the buildings which developers are remediating themselves, have committed to more than doubling the rate at which they have been assessing and starting to fix unsafe buildings, meaning work on all their buildings will start by summer 2027.   

To date, 95 per cent of buildings with the same type of cladding used on Grenfell have been remediated but only 30 per cent of identified buildings in England have been remediated, with potentially thousands more buildings yet to be identified. 

This follows prime minister Keir Starmer calling for a ban on the public contracts for the construction companies involved in the Grenfell disaster.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: ”More than seven years on from the Grenfell tragedy, thousands of people have been left living in homes across this country with dangerous cladding. 

“The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe. 

“Our Remediation Acceleration Plan will ensure those responsible for making buildings safe deliver the change residents need and deserve.”

Building Safety Minister Alex Norris said: ”Every resident deserves to feel safe in their home. By setting a clear timeline and firm deadlines, today’s announcement is a major step towards ensuring every building is made safe. 

“Our Remediation Acceleration plan will fix buildings faster, identify all buildings with unsafe cladding and support vulnerable residents.  

“This underscores our unwavering commitment to safeguarding residents and holding those responsible to account.

“We will not hesitate to actively pursue the owners of buildings who refuse to act.”

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The firm was appointed to the upgrade scheme by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), as part of a wider £3.8 billion estate modernisation programme.  

ISG will refurbish and return to use 300 single-person cells at the Category B men’s prison in the Winson Green area of the city. 

It is understood to be the firm’s “largest refurbishment project to date”. 

ISG is also one of four project partners on the MoJ’s £1 billion New Prisons Programme Alliance to deliver four new adult male prisons across the UK. 

The contractor has also been appointed to the MoJ’s five-year, £2.5 billion Constructor Services Framework, providing access to national and regional projects valued up to £30 million. 

“The MoJ continues to be one of our most innovative and progressive customers across a range of measures – from procurement approaches, modern methods of construction (MMC) adoption and as an environmental, social and governance (ESG) trailblazer,” said Alister McNeil, sector director for justice, ISG. 

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The firm was appointed to the upgrade scheme by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), as part of a wider £3.8 billion estate modernisation programme.  

ISG will refurbish and return to use 300 single-person cells at the Category B men’s prison in the Winson Green area of the city. 

It is understood to be the firm’s “largest refurbishment project to date”. 

ISG is also one of four project partners on the MoJ’s £1 billion New Prisons Programme Alliance to deliver four new adult male prisons across the UK. 

The contractor has also been appointed to the MoJ’s five-year, £2.5 billion Constructor Services Framework, providing access to national and regional projects valued up to £30 million. 

“The MoJ continues to be one of our most innovative and progressive customers across a range of measures – from procurement approaches, modern methods of construction (MMC) adoption and as an environmental, social and governance (ESG) trailblazer,” said Alister McNeil, sector director for justice, ISG. 

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If you have a tip or story idea that fits with our publication, please contact the news reporter/editor

The firm was appointed to the upgrade scheme by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), as part of a wider £3.8 billion estate modernisation programme.  

ISG will refurbish and return to use 300 single-person cells at the Category B men’s prison in the Winson Green area of the city. 

It is understood to be the firm’s “largest refurbishment project to date”. 

ISG is also one of four project partners on the MoJ’s £1 billion New Prisons Programme Alliance to deliver four new adult male prisons across the UK. 

The contractor has also been appointed to the MoJ’s five-year, £2.5 billion Constructor Services Framework, providing access to national and regional projects valued up to £30 million. 

“The MoJ continues to be one of our most innovative and progressive customers across a range of measures – from procurement approaches, modern methods of construction (MMC) adoption and as an environmental, social and governance (ESG) trailblazer,” said Alister McNeil, sector director for justice, ISG. 

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If you have a tip or story idea that fits with our publication, please contact the news reporter/editor