Calls have been made by Welsh Climate Change Minister, Julie James, for the UK to have a collaborative approach to building safety.
Yesterday Ms James asked the British government to extend the England-only developer pledge, which ensures they repair buildings they were involved in building, to the rest of the UK.
She said the current ‘unilateral approach’ to building safety was making it difficult to ensure developers in Wales were committed to repairing buildings.
Speaking to Members of the Senedd, Julie James said: ‘We continue to do everything in our power to repair building safety defects – without these costs falling on leaseholders – and to reform building safety law. But there are many things our governments can do to improve building safety on a UK basis.
‘I was therefore deeply disappointed when the Secretary of State for Housing, Levelling Up and Communities Michael Gove announced an England-only developer pledge last month.
‘The Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Local Government and Housing, Shona Robison and I have repeatedly called on the UK Government to adopt a UK-wide approach to the pledge.
‘The UK Government’s unilateral approach to building safety issues makes it harder to ensure all developers take their responsibilities to contribute towards the costs of fixing building safety problems in Wales seriously.
‘It inhibits our ability to hold developers and manufacturers to account for fixing their mistakes and it runs counter to the recent Review of Intergovernmental Relations.
‘It also creates more confusion for residents at a time when they need consistency and clarity.’
The Welsh government has currently committed £375m to repairing unsafe buildings and under its ‘whole-building approach’ is tackling wider fire safety issues in buildings, not just unsafe cladding.
Welsh ministers continue to press the UK government to introduce a UK-wide commitment by developers, a public indemnity insurance scheme, the building safety levy extended to the whole of the UK and support from Michael Gove to increase funding for building safety.
In related news, as part of legislation to improve fire safety, developers in Scotland will be banned from using combustible cladding on buildings over 11 metres.
Photo by Jonny Gios