Why is the Grenfell Tower blaze tragedy a disaster for Scotland?

The Herald Scotland

a day ago

There are concerns that that is no change from an assessment by the Scottish Parliament's local government, housing and planning committee from February, last year which found that only two of 105 being assessed in Scotland at that point for cladding remediation have had any work carried out.
What is the dangerous cladding issue, and how did Grenfell Tower highlight it?
London's Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017 tragically exposed how certain external wall system - especially Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels paired with combustible insulation, can enable rapid fire spread. These materials were found to dramatically accelerate the spread of the fire, contributing to 72 deaths.
Is flammable cladding still present in Scotland today?
Yes. It is now estimated that between 1,260 and 1,450 of the residential buildings in Scotland which are 11 metres or over may require repair to deal with a life-safety risk. Of those around 250 are over 18m high.
It was previously estimated about 900 buildings were affected.
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More than four years ago, The Herald first revealed about concerns about dealing with the cladding issue - when not a penny had been spent to deal with the problem.
Then, their analysis found at least 85 high rise blocks and over 130 other buildings, mainly schools overseen by Scotland's 32 local authorities contained high pressure laminate (HPL) panels which safety experts have raised serious concerns over.
Official analysis of local authority high rises carried out at the time showed that a further 23 of Scotland's 774 high rise buildings reported polyethylene type ACM panels (ACM-PE), another combustible material, similar to that found at Grenfell. A further 15 buildings reported "limited combustibility".
What legal actions has Scotland taken to ban dangerous cladding?
In April 2022, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation banning combustible cladding on high-risk buildings above 11 meters, with no option for fire-test exemptions. ACM panels are completely banned on all buildings, regardless of height.
A Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety led reviews and consultation rounds, paving the way for enhanced regulatory frameworks from October 2019, with further expansions in June 2022, such as fire suppression systems and stricter design standards.
What has the Scottish Government done in response to the Grenfell Inquiry?
The Scottish Government embraced all 58 recommendations from the Phase 2 Grenfell Tower Inquiry, including establishing a compliance plan manager role for high-risk buildings, strengthening enforcement, and revamping building safety systems.
It created a Single Building Assessment (SBA) pilot to identify and remediate dangerous cladding. As of June there were repairs on just two buildings.
It launched a Single Open Call in March 2025, allowing owners to apply for funding for assessment and remediation across cladded residential buildings over 11 meters.
Why does dangerous cladding remain a critical issue in Scotland?
Hundreds of high-rises remain covered in flammable materials, many affecting residents directly and the removal effort has been slow.
The Scottish Government believes the Cladding Remediation Programme could cost £1.7bn to £3.1bn of public money over a 15-year period..
Many residents face blocked mortgages, insurance challenges, or high remediation costs for issues they did not cause.
So why does this matter for Scotland now?
There are concerns that lives are still at risk as combustible cladding remains widespread eight years after Grenfell.
Campaigners say existing buildings need systematic and timely remediation.
Flashback to the Grenfell Tower blaze tragedy There are concerns that public trust is at stake, with critics saying Scotland must avoid complacency and ensure transparency and accountability in remediation efforts.
What is the Scottish Government doing about it now?
It has said that unsafe cladding would be removed by 2029 - nine years after it received £97.1m from Westminster through Barnet consequentials to fix it.
Housing secretary Mairi McAllan said last week that they were about to speed up action by re-confirming £20m of funding, which had been announced in the Budget.
She said: "Scotland's cladding remediation programme is progressing at pace and the additional £20 million I've announced today will further expedite this vital work. Doubling the funding for holistic single building assessments to £20 million will ensure owners and residents can rapidly and thoroughly assess works required."
She said she was setting a deadline of October 31, 2025 by which "responsible" developers must sign a remediation contract.