The National Audit Office (NAO) said in a major report yesterday (4 November) that the cost of remediating thousands of buildings with Grenfell-style cladding could end up reaching \u00a322.4 billion.<\/p>\n
The Department of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) is due to contribute \u00a39.1 billion towards remediation. However up to \u00a35 billion of this public money outlay could be recouped following the introduction of a levy on new developments.<\/p>\n
Yet the final sums needed to solve the nation\u2019s cladding crisis are still unknown. The NAO\u2019s potential cost estimates vary significantly, ranging from a lower figure of \u00a312.6 billion to the now-revealed plus \u00a320 billion sum.<\/p>\n
The spending watchdog said this was because the exact number of buildings above 11m needing remediation remained unconfirmed.<\/p>\n
The NAO estimates that 7,200 buildings requiring remediation are still unidentified \u2013 up to 60 per cent of the government\u2019s estimate of 9,000 to 12,000 buildings.<\/p>\n
That could mean around 60 per cent of the buildings with dangerous cladding have yet to be identified, and some may never be found, the watchdog said.<\/p>\n
It added that the government had a \u2018long way to go\u2019 before remediation work was completed on all affected buildings and that its 2035 target was in doubt without a target date for completing remediation work.<\/p>\n
But it conceded that some progress was being made thanks to a \u2018substantial increase in remediation activity\u2019 since the summer, with several schemes bought together under one umbrella in 2023.<\/p>\n
The NAO said the government should consider making it mandatory to register buildings between 11 and 18m tall, instead of just 18m and above, to help identify the remaining homes.<\/p>\n
NAO head Gareth Davies said: \u2018There is a long way to go before all affected buildings are made safe, and [there are] risks MHCLG must address if its approach is to succeed.<\/p>\n
\u2018Putting the onus on developers to pay and introducing a more proportionate approach to remediation should help to protect taxpayers\u2019 money. Yet it has also created grounds for dispute, causing delays.\u2019<\/p>\n
So far, work has started on 4,771 buildings above 11m\u2013 accounting for approximately 258,000 homes \u2013 and around one third is complete, the NAO says.<\/p>\n