Cladding: Government set to announce £5 billion grant

According to reports, Housing secretary Robert Jenrick will set out a package of measures when he addresses the House of Commons later on Wednesday.

Plans under consideration are believed to include a £5 billion grant on top of the £1.6 billion safety fund that leaseholders can currently apply to.

It is also reported that grants to remove cladding will only be available to those living in buildings higher than 18 metres, with those in smaller ones having to rely on loans for the cost of the work.

It comes after The Gazette reported how combustible material was found in the cladding in one apartment block in Basingstoke.

Intrusive surveys on Crown Heights, on Alencon Link, found the flammable material expanded polystyrene (EPS) with no fire breaks.

It means that should a blaze start and find its way to the cladding, it could engulf the building in a similar manner to the Grenfell Fire tragedy in 2017, which killed 72 people.

Worries for leaseholders

Ahead of the announcement, the National Leasehold Campaign tweeted: “Another sleepless night for leaseholders worried sick about what @RobertJenrick will announce tomorrow regarding their futures.

“Please Robert you have a chance here to save millions. They ALL deserve this. Please don’t help some & not others.”

It is estimated that 700,000 people are still living in apartment blocks that are wrapped by flammable cladding.

The House of Commons has previously heard how huge numbers of people, especially leaseholders, are “stuck in the middle” and living in “unsafe homes” which they cannot sell, but are being asked to “foot the bill” for remediation works.

The Gazette reported last week how residents at Crown Heights are expected to foot the bill for a waking watch - a 24-hour-a-day patrol by fire wardens that aims to spot a fire before it can properly develop.

Whilst the exact cost is not known, FirstPort, the building's management company, told this newspaper that the average cost is £6,700 a week.

They added that an emergency fund would help to cover the cost, but could not guarantee that leaseholders would not be asked to pay the shortfall should it not cover the full price.

A spokesperson said: "The safety of our residents is our first priority, and we understand that this is an unsettling time for residents of Crown Heights.

"Based on the advice of an independent specialist fire engineer, waking watch and amendments to the fire evacuation procedures have been implemented as a temporary measure at the development.

"The waking watch will be removed as soon as a new fire detection system is installed. This is currently being tendered and we are working hard to get this installed as soon as possible so the waking watch can be removed.

"We are also working to submit an application for Crown Heights to the Government's new Waking Watch Relief Fund, which we hope will secure funding for the fire alarm installation if this application is successful."

Residents of buildings with flammable cladding have said it has made their flats “worthless” and they are “trapped” and unable to sell the properties.

At last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson said: “We are determined that no leaseholder should have to pay for the unaffordable costs of fixing safety defects that they didn’t cause and are no fault of their own.”

Interim measures

The waking watch is an interim measure put in place at Crown Heights after the tower block failed its intrusive cladding survey in December 2020.

Additionally, residents have been given updated instructions on what to do in the event of a fire.

The controversial 'stay put' order was rescinded, with residents instead being asked to evacuate.

Last week, with no date set for remedial works, The Gazette urged FirstPort to make the building safe immediately, before the Grenfell Tower tragedy repeats itself.