The issue of unsafe cladding and fire safety remains a serious concern for residents across Wales. According to a response to a Written Question from Labour’s Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, 433 buildings are currently part of the Welsh Building Safety Programme. However, only 43% of these buildings have either completed remediation or are currently undergoing works. A further 47% remain in the planning stages, while 10% have yet to begin remediation or do not require it.
In light of these figures, the Welsh Conservatives have criticised the Labour Welsh Government for a continued lack of urgency and are calling for stronger action to hold developers accountable and prioritise the safety of residents.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Laura Anne Jones MS, said:
“The Welsh Labour Government must take a far more active role in ensuring developers take responsibility for cladding safety and help ease the anxiety felt by so many residents in Wales.
“They have consistently dragged their feet on this issue, with no clear end date in sight for the completion of remediation works. Nearly eight years on from the Grenfell tragedy, this simply isn’t good enough.
“There must be tougher action against those developers who are delaying essential safety work, so residents no longer have to go to sleep fearing they'll be woken by a fire alarm rather than an alarm clock.”
