After Grenfell Four years on, the families still living in fear of inferno
Despairing victims in at-risk homes accuse ministers of lacking urgency despite fire disaster in London
More than four years after the Grenfell disaster, thousands of Scots continue to live in flats that have potentially deadly cladding, with work only now beginning to assess the scale of the risk, we can reveal.
The danger of wrapping flats in combustible cladding was exposed in June 2017 when fire raced up Grenfell Tower in London, killing 72 people. Amid calls for an urgent appraisal of how many homes may be affected, £100 million was given to the Scottish Government to start assessing risk and making flats safe.
However, a pilot scheme calculating the scale of the problem has only just started and residents say tests have only started at one of the 25 buildings chosen for the trial.
Ministers admit around 700 high-rise buildings will need to be checked and owners have criticised the speed of the response. Abhijeet Kadwe, 39, who lives in Glasgow with his wife Monica and their two sons, Kiaan, five, and Advay, eight, said the lack of urgency is alarming.
He said: “I fear for the safety of my kids every day. I am beyond shock at how long this is taking.”
More than four years after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, thousands of Scots families continue to live in flats with potentially deadly cladding.
A pilot scheme to assess the number of affected buildings has only just been launched, with free tests set to be carried out on 25 buildings. However, property owners are still waiting to learn the details of any compensation scheme.
In England payments have started, along with work to remove dangerous cladding after the blaze at the London tower block in June 2017 when 72 people died.
The Scottish Government says around 700 high-rise buildings and many more smaller buildings have cladding which will need to be checked but owners have criticised the speed of the response.
Flat owner Abhijeet Kadwe, from Glasgow, said: “I am beyond shock at how long this is taking to get under way, considering the risk to people’s safety.”
After Grenfell, when combustible cladding was blamed for the swift spread of fire on the high-rise, a special remedial fund of almost £100 million was given to the Scottish Government to help address the cladding fears. It is believed that Holyrood can expect a further £350m from Westminster to deal with the costs of removal and replacement.
The Scottish Government insists all of the £97.1 million it has received so far will be used to tackle cladding but how much compensation owners will receive, and when, remains uncertain. After being accused of failing to release the funds, ministers announced a programme of free safety assessments in March to determine which properties have material needing to be removed.
The Single Building Assessment is available for free for all buildings thought to be at risk, regardless of their height, and this includes local authority and registered social landlord buildings.
More than 100 local authority tower blocks are believed to have cladding that will need to be checked. Local authority buildings found to require work will be the responsibility of that council.
Chris Ashurst, co-ordinator of the High Rise Scotland Action Group, cautiously welcomed the news that free safety assessments are now being trialled. “Everyone affected would like this project to move forward more quickly than it has been but we do understand that there is no magic wand,” he said. “Wheels are grinding slowly but it is encouraging that things are finally starting to get under way.
“We understand that more than a dozen buildings are on the list for the
pilot scheme and that they are currently being assessed. But it will be another few months before we have a clearer picture about what will
happen across Scotland.” He added:
“It is still early days but we have to get this right. There is a lot at stake for a lot of people.”
High Rise Scotland Action Group added last night that there were 333 registrations of interest for the pilot scheme, however only 123 of these had the required documentation, and out of these, just 25 have been included. The group said that these are progressing but an actual inspection has been commenced on just one of the buildings.
Solicitor Shawn Wood, of Watermans Legal in Edinburgh, which has set up an online advice service for flat owners, said: “The process is extremely slow and there does not appear to be any urgency.
Many owners and renters have no idea if they are living in a safe environment, which is causing them huge anxiety. Further, owners are left wondering if they can even sell their property at this time as the cladding problem may make their property less desirable for purchasers.”
He said getting insurance for a property which might be at risk was also a growing problem.
He said: “This has serious implications. It is likely to be a breach of the title deeds and also a breach of the mortgage terms as the lender will insist upon insurance at all times. As you can imagine, this is causing great difficulty with conveyancing as buyers, and their lenders, may not want to take the risk and buy a property where there is no insurance in place.”
The Property Managers Association Scotland, which represents factors, welcomed the government testing scheme. It said: “The complexity of the situation and the number of involved parties – including lenders, building insurers and conveyancing solicitors, in addition to the essential suitably qualified and insured surveyors, resulted in the need for a well considered approach.”
Scottish Conservative housing spokesperson, Miles Briggs said the Scottish Government had been too slow to act. He said: “They have taken far too long and are now playing catch-up on the rest of the UK who have moved far quicker to address this serious issue.
“Only now are the SNP Government carrying out assessments, leaving thousands of properties still at risk of fire in Scotland.” Scottish Labour’s Housing spokesman Mark Griffin said: “This scheme’s launch is welcome news but the Scottish Government’s failure to act quickly has left thousands trapped in potentially deadly homes. This scheme must move from pilot to fully operational as quickly as possible to end the horrifying delay.”
The Scottish Government said: “We have selected the buildings to be included in the pilot phase of our Single Building Assessment programme and are in the process of beginning the assessments themselves. The costs associated with the Single Building Assessment Programme, which will provide us with the clear evidence on the total need for remediation, will be met by the Scottish Government.
“We are committed to establishing a remediation programme as quickly and safely as possible.”
It added: “We cannot guarantee that there will be enough public funds to support all the work that is needed, and other parties including developers must play their part where construction is not as it should have been.”