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The government is today publishing a joint plan with the social housing sector to accelerate remediation across England, as well as setting out plans for a new law as part of the second phase of the remediation acceleration plan published in December 2024.

At the heart of the plan on social housing remediation is a commitment by government to invest more than £1bn to give social landlords equal access to government funding schemes as private building owners.  The Cladding Safety Scheme guidance has been changed so that the equal access policy can be implemented with immediate effect. 

A new Remediation Bill is also being brought forward to make sure that landlords are held to account for fixing unsafe cladding. The legislation – which will be brought forward as soon as parliamentary timetable allows – will require landlords of buildings that are 18 metres or more in height with unsafe cladding to complete remediation by the end of 2029, and landlords of mid-height buildings, between 11 and 18 metres in height, to complete remediation by the end of 2031. 

The legislation will also give named bodies, such as Homes England and local authorities, powers to remediate buildings with unsafe cladding if a landlord fails to do so.

Deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Angela Rayner said: “Today we have given social landlords access to over £1bn to remediate unsafe cladding and make residents safe. The social sector is ready to rise to the challenge and make sure that residents are safe in their homes.

“We are also today sending a clear message to those responsible for a building still wrapped in unsafe cladding: act now or face the consequences. Our Remediation Bill will include a new duty on you to make your building safe by a specified date, and new powers to impose serious penalties on those who fail to comply with the duty, and ultimately to bypass them if necessary to make the building safe.”

Building safety minister Alex Norris added: “We are determined to make buildings safe and protect residents. Since publishing our remediation acceleration plan, we’ve made strong progress, and this update goes further to drive accountability and remove barriers to speed up remediation.

 “There is now a clear pathway to remediate every building with unsafe cladding. We expect everyone to play their part in giving residents and leaseholders the peace of mind that they deserve.” 

The government has also recently laid regulations for the Building Safety Levy, delivering on a commitment from the initial Remediation Acceleration Plan.  The levy comes into force from October 2026 and  is expected to raise £3.4bn over 10 years.

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