Dear Editor,
Last week, the Government unveiled a new £3.5 billion fund to tackle the cladding scandal, but it will still leave a significant number of our capital’s beleaguered leaseholders in the lurch.
Any new funding aimed at protecting Londoners living in unsafe homes should be welcomed. But Ministers are all too aware of the scale of this crisis. They also know that whilst the £3.5 billion figure might grab headlines, it simply won’t be enough to replace dangerous cladding in buildings in London- let alone across the rest of the country.
It is also bitterly unfair that only loans will be offered to leaseholders living in low to medium-rise buildings, rather than direct grants to cover remediation costs.
Leaseholders impacted by the cladding crisis are already facing financial hardship. They should not be saddled with yet more debt after paying for exorbitant waking watch fire patrols on top of their insurance bills, service charges and their mortgages.
Ministers need to go back to the drawing board on this, and the right way forward is for the Government to commit to foot the bill for remediation works in smaller buildings.
Yours,
Unmesh Desai AM
London Assembly Member for City & East London
Notes to editors
- Unmesh Desai AM is the London Assembly Member for City & East London.