News / Cladding
Building safety crisis rally to take place in Bristol
The impact of the ongoing building safety crisis will be highlighted as leaseholders facing skyrocketing bills call for justice at a rally in Bristol.
The cladding scandal uncovered after the Grenfell fire tragedy in 2017 has been described as just the “tip of the iceberg” of an issue that has left thousands of people living in unsafe properties through no fault of their own and left to foot the bill for remediation work.
Campaigners in Bristol and beyond are calling for an end to the crisis and demanding the government do more to protect leaseholders and hold the corporations responsible to account.
is needed now More than ever
The rally will take place on College Green from 12pm on Saturday, with Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour MP for Bristol West, Alex Hartley, a Lib Dem councillor for Hotwells & Harbourside, Tom Renhard, Labour’s cabinet member for housing and a councillor for Horfield, and Tony Dyer, a Green councillor for Southville, all due to speak.
Steve Day, a campaigner who drafted the Polluter Pays bill, will also be speaking. The Polluter Pays bill, if adopted, could force developers that breached building regulations to pay for all remedial work, assuming the responsible party can be found.
Organisers of Saturday’s rally say: “Over 40 buildings in Bristol have been found to have historic fire safety defects, meaning they are potentially dangerous and require significant remediation.
“Leaseholders are being forced to pay for the incompetence of both developers, for failing to comply with building regulations, and the Government, for failing to regulate the industry over many decades.
“Some leaseholders are facing bills of over £100,000 and many are now considering bankruptcy.
“Please join us to campaign for justice in the building safety crisis and help #EndOurCladdingScandal.”
Bristol24/7 recently highlighted the scale of the crisis in the city, reporting on the hundreds of people facing a David versus Goliath battle for justice in a system that fails to hold companies to account and could leave leaseholders footing the bill for something that was not their fault.
Main photo by Reece Lipman
Read more: Bristol’s building safety crisis uncovered
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