The price of safety

SCORES of high-rise blocks have potentially deadly cladding, and many residents fear they have been left to languish in firetrap flats. In England, Michael Gove has announced that developers will be asked to foot the bill for remedial action, estimated at around £4billion.

Here, a scheme to find out the number of affected buildings has been launched, with 25 set to feature in the initial phase as part of a £97.1million funding package. Physical inspections are under way to identify cladding that may need to be rooted out, and pinpoint other fire safety risks.

As campaigners point out, the threat of being unable to insure, mortgage or sell their homes has hung over the occupants of the blocks on the danger list for years, and yet they’re entirely innocent parties.

The remedial work on some buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh is scheduled to begin ‘in the coming weeks’, which is encouraging news, if long overdue.

Developers should pay for the work that’s needed to keep families safe – and Scotland can’t afford to fall behind the pace on an issue of such urgency.