SNP Government making 'glacial progress' on removing cladding from homes after Grenfell Tower
The SNP Government has been accused of making "glacial progress" in removing potentially dangerous cladding from residential buildings in the wake of Grenfell Tower fire.
Willie Rennie said Nationalist ministers had "no excuse" after official figures showed remediation work had only been completed on just 0.2 per cent of potentially affected buildings. The Lib Dem MSP said the removal of potentially dangerous cladding was an issue "where Scotland simply cannot afford to fall behind".
The Scottish Government has estimated up to 1,450 residential buildings may need remediation work - including about 250 high-rises. But full surveys are needed to establish what needs to be done on a case-by-case basis, a process known as Single Building Assessments (SBAs). The Lib Dems today warned that just three SBAs have been completed, while there are only two buildings with active remediation work. A further 12 SBAs are underway.
The slow pace is despite Government's Cladding Remediation Programme having received 600 expressions of interest, which allows those responsible for buildings to ask for them to be assessed. The MSP said the lack of progress in Scotland contrasts sharply contrasts sharply with the situation in England where 2,490 buildings identified with unsafe cladding have started or completed remediation works.
Rennie said: "In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, there can be no excuses for making such glacial progress, but this SNP Government continues to blunder their way through in slow motion.
"This is an issue where Scotland simply cannot afford to fall behind; by moving so sluggishly with the necessary building works, the SNP government are only increasing the risks to peoples' lives.
"That's why I am imploring ministers to urgently step up the pace in fixing at-risk buildings and keep homeowners, residents and local authorities informed on developments."
The Scottish Government has brought forward legislation which could see a tax charged on the construction of certain new residential properties, in line with equivalent legislation in England.
The bill seeks to raise about £30m a year to help fund work to fix residential buildings with unsafe cladding which have no linked developer.
Ivan McKee, the Public Safety Minister, previously said: "The Scottish government is committed to doing what is right and necessary to address the challenge of fixing buildings affected by unsafe cladding.
"That includes putting the appropriate funding arrangements in place to ensure that the associated costs of cladding remediation do not fall directly onto affected homeowners.
"I know that developers share our determination to keep people safe and this levy will ensure they make a fair contribution to these costs, just as they will be doing in England."
He added: "I also welcome the continued co-operation of developers who have accepted responsibility for the assessments and any required mitigation and remediation of their buildings."
The UK Government has already agreed in principle to devolve the powers needed for a Scottish Building Safety Levy.
Labour ministers announced their intention to speed up efforts to inspect and repair buildings in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London that killed 72 people. The 23-storey tower's cladding is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
The Record asked the Scottish Government for comment.
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