Chloe SmithMP for Norwich North
Chloe SmithYesterday the Government announced a £5 billion agreement with developers which will see industry contribute to fixing buildings they had a role in developing.
Fixing buildings, including unsafe cladding, should not be a financial burden that falls on innocent leaseholders.
That is why we have secured an agreement that will see industry contribute £5 billion to address building safety – with developers committing a minimum of £2 billion to fix their own buildings and up to a further £3 billion through the expanded Building Safety Levy.
Under the new agreement, which will become legally enforceable, over 35 of the UK’s biggest homebuilders have pledged to fix all buildings 11 metres+ that they have played a role in developing in the last 30 years.
For the companies yet to make the pledge, the Secretary of State has also confirmed there is little time left for them to sign up, and that those who continue to refuse will face consequences if they fail to do so.
As set out in January, a new government scheme will also see industry pay to fix buildings where those responsible cannot be identified or forced to in law. This follows previous confirmation that plans for a 30-year loan scheme paid for by leaseholders would be scrapped.
The new scheme will be funded through an extension to the Building Safety Levy that will be chargeable on all new residential buildings in England. This is expected to raise up to an additional estimated £3 billion over ten years from developers and ensure no leaseholder in medium-rise buildings faces crippling bills, even when their developer cannot be traced.
This marks a significant step toward protecting innocent leaseholders and ensuring those responsible for installing unsafe cladding pay to solve the crisis they helped to cause.
As MP for Norwich North, ensuring that Norwich families have the homes they need is one of my priorities. To find out more about what action I am taking both in Norwich and Westminster for this work, please visit: https://www.chloesmith.org.uk/myplan/homes.
Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, I wrote to the chief executive of Norwich City Council asking for details of any cladding used on buildings in the city. It is feared cladding was the reason the fire at Grenfell Tower in Islington took hold of the whole building.
I also asked when the last fire safety checks were conducted. I also asked the City Council to confirm that all of the buildings are fully compliant with fire and building regulations.
Furthermore, I sought assurances that none of the buildings have any external cladding that might now be considered dangerous.
The City Council assured me that we have been reviewing our tower blocks and the safety regulations on a regular basis and that none of their blocks have external cladding.
For further information on this announcement, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/agreement-with-major-developers-to-fund-building-safety-repairs?utm_source=POLITICO.EU&utm_campaign=e28b2e4ff6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_04_14_03_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_10959edeb5-e28b2e4ff6-190859688