There has been significant national and trade coverage of the government’s announcement of new action to deliver safer homes and ensure leaseholders are not left facing high costs to fix the building safety mistakes made by others. It includes new funding to remove cladding from lower-rise buildings with serious fire safety risks, as well as the launch of a review, led by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), into how insurance premiums for buildings with fire safety risks have changed since the FCA brought in new rules in 2023.
The Times, PA, BBC Online, Independent, iNews and LBC all covered the announcement, predominantly leading on the government’s action to remove cladding from buildings under 11 meters in height which pose the highest risk to residents. The Building Safety Minister is widely quoted, stating that: “Residents shouldn’t be left worrying about living in homes with dangerous, flammable cladding, just because their building isn’t tall enough to qualify for funding”.
The Times ran an in-depth piece on the announcement, supported by case studies of leaseholders living in low-rise buildings who have been expected to cover the cost of cladding removal. It describes the new funding as a ‘glimmer of hope’ for leaseholders and that ‘residents living in blocks under 11m have been left behind — until today’. The piece also outlines wider government investment to address cladding issues.
In a second piece of coverage, The Times focused solely on the FCA’s review into building insurance charges. The piece includes government research findings which reveal that some leaseholders are paying over £1,000 per-year in insurance fees – backing up the need for the new review. It sets out that the new review will provide an up-to-date view on how pricing is being determined and whether remediation works are being reflected to bring charges down. A case study was also interviewed for the piece, detailing their experience of paying high premiums. The FCA is quoted, confirming that the survey findings show how some leaseholders are paying higher-than-average insurance premiums.
The Independent and iNews (p27) ran PA’s copy on the announcement, highlighting that the funding is intended to help protect leaseholders against facing remediation costs and pointing to the latest data on remediation progress. The write-ups also detail the launch of the FCA’s review into building insurance charges, with a quote from the Economic Secretary to the Treasury included.
BBC Online, LBC, Property Week, Property Mark, Inside Housing, the Negotiator and Social Housing lead their reports with the remediation news. The BBC’s write-up highlights how the funding delivers on commitments set out in the Remediation Acceleration Plan and follows the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
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