Barking and Dagenham Council has pledged its support for the resident-led End Our Cladding Scandal campaign, which sets out 10 steps calling on the Government to fix the cladding and building safety crisis.
The 10 steps have been developed in consultation with Inside Housing and several lawyers representing families at the ongoing inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. They are based on the recommendations of the cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
Since the campaign was launched, it has garnered support from several industry bodies, politicians from across the spectrum, as well as leaseholders campaigning for change.
The council has been vocal in its quest for change on the issue of fire safety and cladding, and last year launched an independent fire safety review following a major fire which ripped through a block of flats forcing 79 families to rush to safety.
Steve Bullock, Chair of the Housing and Finance Institute, formerly directly elected Mayor of Lewisham and Executive Housing Lead for London Councils, was commissioned by the council to lead the review, to better understand what happened in the aftermath of the fire and the changes needed going forward. The conclusions of the review were published in January this year in a special report, and the council has since called on the government to review the recommendations set out and reform legislation.
Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing, said: “We must continue to use the power of our voices to ensure we’re heard by the government loud and clear, so that swift action is taken to make much needed changes to legislation.
“Freeholders and developers must take ownership and live up to their responsibilities because what we’re seeing at the moment are huge oversights at the detriment to leaseholders who didn’t sign up to this.
“Change is well overdue and with many lives affected by this deeply concerning issue, we one hundred per cent support the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign and will continue to speak up until this matter is properly addressed.”
For more information on the council’s independent fire safety review, visit https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/news/independent-review-into-barking-fire-demands-full-transparency-for-tenants-and-leaseholders-on
For more information on the End Our Cladding Scandal, visit https://endourcladdingscandal.org/about-us/