Housing Minister in the Scottish Government Paul McLennan, has announced that people with concerns about unsafe cladding in their properties can apply to a £10 million fund to have their building assessed. This is part of a cladding remediation plan published 25 March alongside the Scottish Government’s response to the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report.
Paul McLennan said:
“The fire at Grenfell Tower which resulted in the deaths of 72 people was a tragedy that should never have been able to happen.
“For owners who have cladding in their homes this has been a worrying time which is why we have launched this new fund to speed up the process of assessing and replacing unsafe cladding.
“Of the 58 recommendations in the Inquiry’s second report, 43 relate to areas devolved to Scotland and we are continuing to collaborate with other parts of the UK on building and fire safety matters.
“Immediately after the tragedy we took steps to strengthen building safety in Scotland and we are continuing to deliver an ongoing programme of improvements including introducing legislation as appropriate.”
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report was published on 4 September 2024.
A statement issued on the publication by the Inquiry said:
The simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants. They include the government, the Tenant Management Organisation, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, those who manufactured and supplied the materials used in the refurbishment, those who certified their suitability for use on high-rise residential buildings, the architect, Studio E, the principal contractor, Rydon Maintenance Ltd, and some of its sub-contractors, in particular, Harley Curtain Wall Ltd and its successor Harley Facades Ltd, some of the consultants, in particular the fire engineer, Exova Warringtonfire Ltd, the local authority’s building control department and the London Fire Brigade. Not all of them bear the same degree of responsibility for the eventual disaster, but, as our reports show, all contributed to it in one way or another, in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed
Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Emma Roddick has called for the Scottish Government to continue with agreed building standards and planning frameworks following UK Government announcements that it is going to seek to “cut red tape” to build houses faster.
She said:
“Nobody wants to see houses built and built fast more than me. But it is not worth it if the houses are not safe.
“While Labour plays to the gallery with talk of cutting red tape, the Grenfell Inquiry reminds us of what happens when cost and speed are prioritised over quality and safety.
“First and foremost, the place a person lives should be safe and secure. It might be tempting to get things done quickly and on the cheap, but building standards and planning frameworks give us the opportunity to get it right before anything can go wrong.
“Lessons must be learned across the UK from Grenfell, and I’m glad to hear that the SNP will not put safety at risk when it comes to meeting our ambitious housebuilding targets.”
On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours. Seventy people died at the scene and two people died later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 escaping. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Blitz of World War II.
Find out more
Cladding – Building standards – gov.scot
Overview – Cladding Remediation Programme: factsheet – gov.scot
