‘End the cladding scandal once and for all’

As we have been gripped this year by a whole host of issues, from coronavirus, to Brexit, to the climate emergency, a serious injustice against Bristol residents has gone under the radar.

Thousands have been affected by the cladding scandal, and with leaseholders facing bills of tens of thousands of pounds, these families face an anxious Christmas.

Following the Grenfell fire disaster in 2017, the Government rushed through legislation designed to fix the issues around cladding. While the legislation was sorely needed, it has affected huge numbers of people across the country.

Even buildings without cladding are being drawn into the scandal, as any exterior features, whether cladding, balconies, or other features now mean that buildings might not be safe.

Fire safety is essential, but the current system in place to identify and fix cladding is not only perilously slow, presenting significant safety risks, but is also leaving thousands of leaseholders facing financial ruin.

The need for an EWS1 form (a form which certifies a building is safe from fire risk) means that residents and leaseholders must pay thousands for work affecting their buildings, while developers and freeholders get off scot free. Although the Govt promised £1.6bn to pay for remuneration work, only buildings over 18 metres tall qualify, and just two to four per cent of the fund has been paid out so far.

Capricorn Place on Hotwell Road is just building affected by bad cladding. Photo: Bristol Lib Dems

This is not just a Bristol issue, but an issue affecting our region as well. Numerous blocks in Portishead have been found to have dangerous cladding.

Stephen Williams, Lib Dem candidate for the West of England Combined Authority, said: “It is scandalous that leaseholders are having to pay thousands, when developers and freeholders pay nothing at all. We need someone to fight for these residents in Westminster, and if I am elected next May I’ll lobby hard on their behalf.”

One lady I spoke to, living in the Harbourside on a fixed income, in her late 70s, and caring for her husband with dementia, is facing a bill of almost £30,000. She is just one of hundreds of affected residents, who put their life savings into buying a property, who are now facing bankruptcy over fixing their buildings.

Even in buildings that don’t require work, leaseholders are being frozen out of the property market to sell their homes. Mortgage lenders are demanding EWS1 forms on flat blocks of all heights leaving families trapped in unsellable homes for up to ten years.

There are fewer than 300 qualified engineers to carry out the inspections across the country, creating a huge backlog with an estimated three million people thought to need one.

In order to help these residents, the Bristol Lib Dems put forward a motion to Bristol City Council full council in December, which was passed unanimously by all parties.

This means Bristol City Council will be required to:

• Officially back the #EndOurCladdingScandal campaign
• Provide training and resources to assist leaseholders with all matters related to EWS1 forms
• Lobby and work with MPs and the government to devolve powers and money to Bristol

The Lib Dems will monitor the council’s progress closely to make sure that it is delivered. An independent Facebook group has been set up for Bristol residents. If anyone has any concerns about their building, please contact me directly at hotwells@bristollibdems.org.

Bristol or Benidorm? – photo: Martin Booth

While Bristol leaseholders know they have someone in their corner, this motion will do little to calm their concerns. It is a small victory, but the victory they need is in Parliament.

Following a concerted effort by Lib Dem parliamentarians in the House of Lords, led by Baroness Catherine Pinnock, an amendment (Amendment 13) has been made to the Fire Safety Bill, which will protect leaseholders from exorbitant costs. We now need the House of Commons to vote to protect leaseholders.

I call on our four Bristol MPs to publicly back the #EndOurCladdingScandal, and to vow to vote for Amendment 13 of the Fire Safety Bill, to try to end this nightmare for Bristol’s residents.

I also want to promise to continue fighting tooth and nail for these residents caught in a scandal of others’ making, by working with Lib Dem parliamentarians, lobbying local MPs and working with residents’ action groups to do everything we can to end the cladding scandal once and for all.

Alex Hartley is the Lib Dem candidate for Hotwells & Harbourside ward. Main photo of Alex Hartley: Bristol Lib Dems

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