MD3444 Delivering a Local Remediation Acceleration Plan for London - Funding for the London Fire Brigade to establish a Remediation Acceleration Team

1.1.    In the years following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in 2017, there remain too many Londoners living and working in unsafe buildings that pose life-critical risks. In the eight years since the Grenfell Tower fire, the Mayor has made it a priority to seek justice for the bereaved, survivors and local community, while also ensuring that Londoners are safe in their homes. This has included bringing in higher safety standards than the rest of England as part of the London Plan and the GLA’s own funding programmes, as well as taking swift action and advocating for quicker remediation of unsafe buildings.

1.2.    The London Fire Commissioner is the fire and rescue authority for London. The Mayor sets its budget and approves the Community Risk Management Plan – London’s safety plan. LFB, as the operational arm of the London Fire Commissioner, works to prevent fires from taking place. The responsibility to ensure homes are safe lies within building regulations that are set nationally by government. The Mayor does not have a statutory role in making, reforming or enforcing the building regulations.

1.3.    The scale of the building safety crisis in London is unprecedented due to the volume and concentration of buildings with unsafe cladding, in addition to the fact that London has four times the national average of high-rise homes. There are currently a significant number of buildings in government remediation programmes that have not yet started on site, and progress to remove dangerous cladding from residential buildings has been far too slow. Furthermore, there are a range of national and local organisations with differing roles to deliver remediation and take enforcement action against those responsible for fixing unsafe cladding.

1.4.    On 2 December 2024, the government published its Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP), to accelerate the remediation of residential buildings with unsafe cladding in England and improve resident experience. The RAP outlines measures to achieve its key objectives of: (1) fixing buildings safely but at pace; (2) identifying all 11m+ residential buildings with unsafe cladding and developing a plan to remediate; and (3) supporting residents so that leaseholders and residents in unsafe buildings get the support they deserve. An updated RAP was published in July 2025. 

1.5.    The RAP sets two key targets:

 
•    that all high rise buildings (18m+) with unsafe cladding in a government funded scheme will be fully remediated by the end of 2029
•    that all mid-rise buildings (11m+) with unsafe cladding must either be remediated or have a completion date by the end of 2029, or the landlords will be liable for severe penalties. 

1.6.    The RAP also committed to empower metro mayors to work in partnership with local authorities and regulators to drive remediation in local areas through Local Remediation Acceleration Plans. The GLA was tasked to work in partnership with MHCLG, London Fire Brigade, London Councils and key regulators (for example, the Building Safety Regulator) to develop this plan. 

1.7.    On 7 May 2025, the GLA announced the establishment of the Joint Remediation Partnership Board (JRPB) to oversee the plan to accelerate the removal of unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11metres, including buildings in London that fall under government, private developer and social housing remediation programmes.

1.8.    Chaired jointly by the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, and the Building Safety Minister, the board includes representatives from the government, LFB, London Councils, local authorities, housing associations and regulatory bodies. 

1.9.    On 29 July 2025, through MD3396, Delivery Plan – Improving London’s Housing Stock, the Mayor approved action on wider building safety issues, including convening partners to deliver a Local Remediation Acceleration Plan for London. Under this delivery plan, the Mayor approved receipt of £2,500,000 funding for the development and delivery of the Local Remediation Acceleration Plan for London.  The receipt of this funding has been approved under MD3396 (Delivery Plan – Improving London’s Housing Stock) as part of the addressing systemic building safety issues project. 

1.10.    A key barrier to progress is the limited technical and enforcement capacity across LFB, local authorities and the private sector. Following consultation with LFB, the GLA is seeking to provide funding for LFB to progress the establishment of a dedicated Remediation Team to provide targeted support, improve coordination, and accelerate remediation outcomes. 

1.11.    On 10 September 2025, the LFB Commissioner's Board approved the scope of the proposed Remediation Team, which will comprise of an initial 13x staff on fixed-term contracts at a combined total cost of £976,000. Subject to approval, this funding will be issued to LFB in the 2025-26 financial year upon which recruitment processes to appoint these specialist technical roles will commence. All possible appointments will be made in 2025-26, noting specialist recruitment campaigns may continue into 2026-27 as MHCLG has confirmed this expenditure can roll-over into the 2026-27 financial year. GLA will continue to work with LFB to seek multi-year funding from MHCLG, aligning with the national remediation schedule. There is no fixed grant timetable, instead there is a rolling strategy tied into the government’s remediation targets.

1.12.    As the London Fire Commissioner is a functional body of the GLA, a Mayoral Decision is required to approve this funding as grants to functional bodies above £250,000 are a Reserved Mayoral matter under the GLA’s decision-making framework: Mayoral Decision-Making in the Greater London Authority. It will then subsequently progress through LFB’s internal governance. 
 

2.1.    Designed to be a shared resource for the coalition of partners on the JRPB (namely GLA, London Councils, local authorities and relevant regulators), the Remediation Team will be delivered by LFB and will contribute to partnership working including: 

•    providing technical, administrative, and enforcement support
•    liaising with London local authorities, responsible persons, and the Building Safety Regulator
•    analysing and tracking remediation data
•    exploring digital tools and AI to improve efficiency
•    supporting legal case preparation and enforcement action.

2.2.    The team will operate initially supporting LFB-led remediation efforts, with agreement to be reached with the GLA and other regulators to enable its deployment across London. The intention remains for this to be a joint initiative, evolving into a centralised support function accessible to all stakeholders. To ensure continued progress on current remediation partnership work, LFB has committed to exploring interim options, such as augmenting existing LFB teams. This may include adding data analysts to the High-Risk Premises Team (HRPT) to prepare and transfer data to the relevant databases held by Homes England or deploying additional investigators within LFB’s Enforcement Team to accelerate case development. LFB recognises that meaningful progress in remediation requires stakeholders to share resources, ideas, and good practice, and to learn from past challenges.
 

3.1.    Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED) which provides that he must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it. This involves having due regard to the need to remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share a relevant protected characteristic that is connected to that characteristic; taking steps to meet the different needs of such people; and encouraging them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low.

3.2.    The relevant protected characteristics for the purposes of PSED are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital or civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Compliance with the duty may involve ensuring people with a protected characteristic are provided with all the opportunities that those without the characteristic would have.

3.3.    The funding sought in this decision would support timely and consistent implementation of initiatives that aim to increase the pace of remediation works across London, to the benefit of all leaseholders and social sector residents. This should particularly benefit residents who are elderly or have disabilities and who may find it more difficult to evacuate from a tower block in an emergency. In such circumstances, these residents may face a greater level of safety risk – making the need to remediate these buildings at pace even more pressing.

 
3.4.    LFB has committed to ensuring the establishment of the Remediation Team will incorporate fair and inclusive recruitment practices. Recruitment will be designed to ensure equal access and opportunity for individuals with protected characteristics, including via inclusive job descriptions, accessible application processes, and reasonable adjustments during selection. Recruitment methods will actively promote diversity and mitigate potential barriers to participation.

3.5.    Furthermore, LFB will seek to identify, and mitigate, any potential adverse impacts on protected groups, and ensure that equality considerations are embedded throughout the lifecycle of the initiative. This includes assessing the impact of team structure, working arrangements, and service delivery on different protected groups. Consultation with internal stakeholders, including staff networks and trade unions, will support recruitment processes. As the project evolves steps will be taken to ensure that ongoing assessment of equality impacts remain a central consideration and not an afterthought.
 

Key risks and issues.

4.1.    There is a risk that the LFB will not be able to establish the Remediation Team within the 2025-26 financial year. Shortages of adequately skilled and competent technical personnel are well documented within the building safety and fire safety sectors. As it is new burdens funding, there are limited constraints on in-year spend. The funding has been marked for expenditure within 2025-26, noting that it may roll over into 2026-27 due to the specialist recruitment campaigns required. This will allow LFB to conduct fair and transparent recruitment and/or procurement processes to appoint suitably qualified staff. The GLA is committed to working with LFB where appropriate to support the mobilisation of this team in a timely manner. 

4.2.    The purpose of the Remediation Team is to be a shared resource for the coalition of partners on the JRPB. While the resource was developed to support partners to deliver their statutory and regulatory duties, there is a risk that some may come to rely on it as a primary or standalone solution. The GLA will work with LFB and relevant partners to agree engagement protocols that are in alignment with the objectives of the JRPB. 

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.3.    The Improving London’s Housing Stock delivery plan (approved through MD3396) describes how the GLA will work across the housing sector and in collaboration with local authorities and central government to ensure Londoners’ homes are safe, decent and green, and in doing so reduce energy bills and end fuel poverty. It includes activity towards the Mayor’s commitments around the remediation of unsafe cladding in London, improved licensing and enforcement of the private rented sector and strengthening renters’ rights, and the acceleration of domestic retrofit. 

4.4.    The London Housing Strategy set out the Mayor’s commitment to improve the safety and quality of homes, including ensuring the remediation of unsafe cladding where it exists on high rise residential buildings. By supporting the government’s efforts to streamline and boost remediation funding and by taking forward a new partnership to deliver an LRAP for London, the GLA is taking clear steps to improve London’s housing stock, one of the Mayor’s commitments. 

4.5.    The core London-level outcomes to which this strategic programme will contribute is that Londoners’ homes are safe and decent; and London is a net-zero carbon city. Pursuant to MD3396, the Mayor approved the receipt of £2,500,000 funding for the GLA to work with remediation partners to: 

•    enable effective licensing and enforcement in the private and social rented sectors,
•    improve security and stability for private renters.   

4.6.    The Mayor is also committed to work in partnership with the government, LFB, London Councils, and local and national agencies and regulators to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding on all residential buildings over 11 metres in London. 

4.7.    The Mayor is committed to ensuring that residents are safe, and feel safe, in their homes; and that all buildings with unsafe cladding systems are remediated so that residents can have peace of mind. The impact of unsafe cladding is widely reported to have had an adverse impact on the mental wellbeing of leaseholders. The Mayor’s priorities include reducing health and income inequalities by ensuring Londoners’ mental health and physical health are equally valued and supported. This is aligned to delivering the cladding remediation programme consistently and at pace with the rest of England.

Consultations and impact assessments

4.8.    It is not considered necessary to undertake any further consultation in relation to this decision.

Conflicts of interest

4.9.    There are no conflicts of interest to declare from any of the officers involved in the drafting and clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    Mayoral approval is sought for the GLA to grant £976,000 to the London Fire Commissioner, from the £2,500,000 Local Remediation Acceleration Plan (LRAP) funding. The receipt of this funding has been approved under MD3396 (Delivery Plan – Improving London’s Housing Stock) as part of the addressing systemic building safety issues project. 

5.2.    The funding will be used by LFB in 2025-26, however MHCLG has confirmed that expenditure can roll-over to 2026-27 for specialist recruitment. 

5.3.    This funding will be managed by the Building Safety unit withing Housing and Land directorate.  
 

6.1.    Section 121(1) of the GLA Act provides that the GLA may pay grants towards meeting revenue expenditure incurred or to be incurred by a functional body for the purposes of, or in connection with, the discharge of that body’s functions. The power in section 121(1) is exercisable by the Mayor acting on behalf of the GLA. 

6.2.    This decision relates to a proposed grant to the LFC of £976,000. The GLA’s decision making framework – Mayoral Decision-Making in the Greater London Authority – provides that approval of grants to functional bodies over £250,000 are decisions reserved to the Mayor.

 
6.3.    In taking the decision requested, the Mayor must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.