As the Government announced funding for fire alarm systems in high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding, Caroline Pidgeon AM commented:
I'm pleased to see this long-overdue announcement, which shows the Government is beginning to recognise the issues facing leaseholders. Waking Watches are costing an estimated £12 million a month in London at present.
We also need to make sure this announcement does not allow for the continued slow and piecemeal progress on remediation. Of those with Grenfell-style cladding in London, only 31% have completed remediation works, and this is just the Grenfell-style cladding: not all of the other dangerous cladding and insulation materials, as well as fire safety defects, identified in buildings across London since 2017.
Alongside the Waking Watch Remediation Fund, the Government must prioritise funding the remediation of all dangerous buildings by expanding the Building Safety Fund in terms of scope and money available. They can recover costs from those responsible afterwards.
I will continue to actively support and push the aims and objectives of the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign, UK Cladding Action Group UKCAG, and others until leaseholders are safe and not fronting any costs.