By 2029, the deputy prime minister guarantees the remedying of cladding issues
UK Government Announces New Plan to Accelerate Removal of Unsafe Cladding from Social Housing
The UK government has published an updated Remediation Acceleration Plan on 17 July 2025, aiming to expedite the removal of unsafe cladding from social housing buildings. The plan includes over £1 billion in funding and new legislation to speed up the process.
Key deadlines require all buildings over 18 metres in height with unsafe cladding to be remediated by the end of 2029, and buildings between 11 and 18 metres by the end of 2031. Landlords will have a statutory Duty to Remediate with penalties including unlimited fines or imprisonment for non-compliance.
As of June 2025, 44 percent of the 2,800 social housing buildings identified with unsafe cladding had started remediation. Approximately 2,490 such buildings have started or completed remediation, with 331 completions since December 2024, improving safety for about 24,000 residents.
The plan also includes enhanced support for tenants during remediation and equalized funding access between social landlords and private building owners under the Cladding Safety Scheme. The Remediation Bill, to be introduced promptly in Parliament, will hold landlords accountable, enforce deadlines, and impose strict penalties.
Cllr Heather Kidd, chair of the Local Governments Association's safer and stronger communities board, emphasised councils' commitment to ensuring tenant and resident safety. The government has been engaging with mayors, local enforcement agencies, and developers since July to address the issue of unsafe buildings. Authorities aim to have reviewed more than 95% of buildings 11 metres and over by the end of next year.
The plan is a response to criticism from Labour about the Conservatives' slow efforts to rectify unsafe buildings. Cllr Kidd stated that local government is eager to collaborate with the government to accelerate the pace of remediation. Severe penalties will be issued to freeholders who fail to act on unsafe buildings.
Investment in enforcement will support councils, fire and rescue authorities, and the building safety regulator in tackling hundreds of cases a year. For effective and swift enforcement and addressing of cladding issues, multi-year funding arrangements are needed, according to Cllr Kidd.
Angela Rayner announced plans in Parliament to address unsafe buildings, seven years after the Grenfell tragedy. The plan is a significant step towards ensuring the safety of social housing residents in England.
- The Remediation Acceleration Plan, published by the UK government, includes new legislation aimed at local government, specifically holding landlords accountable for the removal of unsafe cladding from social housing buildings.
- In the wake of war-and-conflicts such as the Grenfell tragedy, the UK government's new Remediation Bill, set to be introduced in Parliament, promises stricter policy-and-legislation to ensure safety in social housing, with penalties for non-compliance including unlimited fines or imprisonment.
- As part of an effort to address general-news issues like unsafe cladding in buildings, the UK government, alongside local enforcement agencies, mayors, and developers, is working collaboratively to review more than 95% of buildings 11 metres and over, with a focus on crime-and-justice and ensuring that freeholders are held accountable for their actions regarding unsafe buildings.
