Plans revealed by the UK Government to fix dangerous cladding on lower-rise buildings have been welcomed by the Welsh Conservatives.
Housing Minister Michael Gove MP will attempt to secure £4 billion from developers to go towards removing dangerous cladding from buildings between 11 and 18.5 metres high.
Michael Gove has written to firms, giving them until March to agree a plan to protect leaseholders trapped in "unsellable homes". He said some companies had shown leadership and covered the costs but others "had not shouldered their responsibilities."
"It is neither fair nor decent that innocent leaseholders, many of whom have worked hard and made sacrifices to get a foot on the housing ladder, should be landed with bills they cannot afford to fix problems they did not cause," he said in a letter to developers in England and Wales.
Commenting on the Conservative Government’s announcement, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, said:
“We can all still vividly remember the horrific Grenfell Tower tragedy which claimed the lives of 72 people, so anything we can do to make sure our buildings are safer must be welcomed with open arms.
“It is clear from the announcement that the UK Conservative Government takes this issue very seriously, and I hope Mark Drakeford and his Labour frontbenchers work with Michael Gove to make Wales’ buildings safer and help residents.
“Sadly, Labour in Wales have been treading water for far too long when it comes to the dangerous issue of cladding, leaving residents high and dry – despite being given nearly £60m to help homeowners and leaseholders pay for remedial works.
“Through no fault of their own, leaseholders across the country have been left with astronomical bills to fix issues they were not responsible for and that’s simply not acceptable.
“Today’s announcement is a much-needed and welcome step in the right direction.”
