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Failure to remove cladding could be breach of international law, UN tells UK government
The UN has warned the UK government that its failure to replace dangerous cladding on buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire could be a breach of international law.
In April, Leilani Farha, who was the the UN’s special rapporteur on adequate housing, wrote to the government about “the situation face by leasehold owners in buildings clad with flammable materials, living in unsafe housing and unable to sell their flats and move elsewhere, and those who are required to pay large amount to have dangerous cladding removed”.
Ms Farha said: “I wish to express my serious concern about these allegations of multiple violations of the human right to adequate housing, of which safety is a key component – contrary to international human rights law.”
The UN’s special rapporteur also referenced the survey carried out by the UK Cladding Action Group (UKCAG), published in Inside Housing last year, which revealed that almost 90% of leaseholders felt their mental health had deteriorated as a result of being embroiled in the cladding scandal.
Latest government figures show that 79 social high-rise residential buildings and 178 private high-rise residential buildings with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding are yet to have their system replaced, more than three years after the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people.
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Ministers still expecting owners to ‘do the right thing’ over cladding are letting down leaseholdersAccording to Ms Farha, roughly 600,000 people in England are estimated to live in blocks with dangerous, flammable cladding, including that made of ACM, timber or high-pressure laminate.
Many thousands more across the country are unable to sell or remortgage their homes as a result of lenders requiring leaseholders to provide a certificate showing that the material on their building is safe.
At the March Budget, the government announced a £1bn fire safety fund to cover the cost of removing various types of dangerous cladding from buildings. Previously, the government had agreed to fund the removal of ACM cladding only.
However, some leaseholders have struggled to access the fund, while MPs have warned that the £1bn is not enough to cover all work required.
Mr Farha has asked the government to provide the UN with more information regarding its approach to cladding remediation within 60 days. This means the deadline for the government to respond is tomorrow.
She said: “While awaiting a reply, I urge that all necessary interim measures be taken to halt the alleged violations and prevent their reoccurrence and in the event that the investigations support or suggest the allegations to be correct, to ensure the accountability of any person(s) responsible for the alleged violations.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the government acted quickly to establish a comprehensive Building Safety Programme – the biggest changes to building safety in a generation – to drive up standards and ensure people are safe in their homes.
“We have given an unprecedented £1.6bn to help fund the removal of unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings and we urge building owners, who have a legal responsibility to ensure their buildings are safe, to remove this cladding as quickly as possible.”
