Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities his Department has advised on their dealings with freeholders who are refusing to pay for repairs on their buildings with combustible cladding.
The Secretary of State has consistently set out his strong expectation that leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediation. My department is actively engaging with all building owners who have not committed to protect leaseholders. We are considering various options to ensure that costs are not passed on to leaseholders.
The Government is also backing local authorities to take enforcement action where building owners are refusing to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding. This will include financial support where this is necessary for the local authority to carry out emergency remedial work.