Labour demands new powers for councils to seize tower blocks with dangerous cladding
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Labour is demanding today (Wednesday) new back-stop powers for
councils to seek court approval for the confiscation of any block
which is putting lives at risk because of dangerous cladding, and
which the owner is refusing to fix. This follows a recent
similar Select Committee recommendation, supported by both
Conservative and Labour MPs, for new confiscation powers for use
against private landlords letting dangerous homes.
Labour will...Request free trial
Labour is demanding today (Wednesday) new back-stop powers for councils to seek court approval for the confiscation of any block which is putting lives at risk because of dangerous cladding, and which the owner is refusing to fix.
This follows a recent similar Select Committee recommendation, supported by both Conservative and Labour MPs, for new confiscation powers for use against private landlords letting dangerous homes.
Labour will demand a complete overhaul of the discredited system of building safety checks and controls in a debate in Parliament today ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire next month, and the expected publication of the Hackitt Review into building safety this week.
Ahead of the debate, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, John Healey MP, has written to Secretary of State, James Brokenshire setting out Labour’s detailed demands on building safety, including: requiring non-combustible cladding and insulation on high-rise blocks, a ban on ‘desktop studies’, full publication of the ownership and safety status of all tower blocks, clear powers for councils to enforce testing on suspect blocks and a £1bn emergency Fire Safety Fund.
In the letter, John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, said:
“More than 11 months on, the time for warm words is long past, and people are rightly asking why so little has changed since the Grenfell Tower fire.
“A series of commitments made by Ministers up to and including the Prime Minister have not been honoured. When Grenfell survivors and worried residents in other tower blocks should have seen action, they have had to suffer painfully slow progress and broken promises. What was a national disaster is now becoming a national disgrace.
“The forthcoming final report of the Hackitt Review into building regulations and fire safety will be an important chance for the Government to show its commitment to a complete overhaul of the discredited system of building safety checks and controls. When people’s lives are at risk, the Government’s duty is clear-cut and Government action must be equally clear-cut.”
Ends Notes to editors
Dear James
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, our unwavering commitment remains to ensure Grenfell residents have the help and new homes they need, those responsible are held fully to account, and all necessary steps are taken so that a disaster like this can never happen again.
However, more than 11 months on the time for warm words is long past, and people are rightly asking why so little has changed since 14 June last year.
A series of commitments made by Ministers up to and including the Prime Minister have not been honoured. When Grenfell survivors and worried residents in other tower blocks should have seen action, they have had to suffer painfully slow progress and broken promises. What was a national disaster is now becoming a national disgrace.
Despite a promise that all Grenfell survivors would be permanently rehoused within a year, two-thirds of Grenfell survivors are still stuck in hotels or temporary housing. Despite a promise that the Government would do whatever it takes to keep residents of other tower blocks safe, fewer than one in 20 tower blocks identified with dangerous cladding have had it removed and replaced. Despite promises of Government funding, still not a single penny of central funding has been offered for vital safety work including retrofitting sprinklers.
This is totally unacceptable. In advance of the one year anniversary of the fire, I hope you will finally make good these commitments which were given to Grenfell survivors and worried residents across the country.
The forthcoming final report of the Hackitt Review into building regulations and fire safety will be an important chance for the Government to show its commitment to a complete overhaul of the discredited system of building safety checks and controls. When people’s lives are at risk, the Government’s duty is clear-cut and Government action must be equally clear-cut. The public must have confidence that there will be systemic changes to keep them and their families safe.
This means that in response to the comprehensive failings in the current system, the Government must act to ensure:
I hope that this can be the basis of a common, cross-Party approach as we approach the one-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Yours ever
John Healey MP
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