Cladding Remediation – Call for Evidence
The next Local Government, Housing, and Planning Committee deadline for evidence is 30th January.
SFHA responded to the Cladding Remediation Bill in December (responses available to download at the right hand side of this page) and continues to feed into ongoing Parliamentary Committee evidence sessions on Cladding Remediation. A summary of our previous submissions is included below. To contribute additional evidence, please email Policy Leads Eli Harji eharji@sfha.co.uk or Annabel Pidgeon apidgeon@sfha.co.uk. The next Local Government, Housing, and Planning Committee deadline for evidence is the 30th January.
The Bill proposes a publicly accessible Cladding Assurance Register to record the condition of buildings and any required remediation, following Single Building Assessments (SBAs). SBAs will apply to buildings that meet certain conditions—including flatted, residential buildings 11 meters or higher and constructed/refurbished between 1992-2022—and carried out in accordance with specified standards. The Bill introduces Ministerial powers to arrange for an SBA to be carried out, including situations where there is lack of owner consent, and arrange necessary work to protect human life.
SFHA’s response to the Bill includes the following key points:
- Our members are proactive and seek to rectify issues with cladding as quickly as possible, operating in the best interest of tenants.
- SFHA is supportive of the legislation aims to clarify liability and responsibility within the remediation process.
- SFHA supports the provision of powers for Scottish Ministers to modify the types of buildings to which a single building assessment may be carried out and to act swiftly if new evidence emerges.
- We welcome the introduction of Cladding Assurance Register, if it is simple and does not add unnecessary administrative burden for members.
- There are concerns around the availability of qualified building assessors to meet the specified standards.
- We called for certainty of funding for “orphan” buildings owned by RSLs.
- SFHA urges the Scottish Government to clarify the timeline, process, consistency, and resourcing of Single-Building Assessments.
- Further information is needed on whether the register will list any required works other than those relating to cladding, should these be identified as part of an SBA. Consideration should be given to ensure duties to maintain do not hold up cladding remediation work.
- Concerns around how the register will operate to ensure there will be no unintended consequences for RSLs, for example should insurers and lenders have access to lists of remediation works.
Please get in contact with SFHA to share additional feedback on the Scottish Government’s Cladding Remediation Bill proposals and/or to submit evidence to a committee session.