SNP under fire for 'glacial progress' as cladding investigations progress revealed
Opponents have accused the SNP of lagging behind cladding progress in England
SNP ministers have been criticised for “glacial progress” after it was revealed that only three of the estimated 1,450 buildings that might require cladding work in Scotland have been assessed.
Following the Grenfell disaster, governments have been pressured to ensure that buildings are safe, particularly due to concerns over cladding brought on by the Grenfell disaster.
New statistics published by the Scottish Government have revealed that out of an estimated 1,450 buildings that may require work to remove cladding, just three have been fully assessed under Scotland’s cladding remediation programme.
Remediation work has only been completed on a mere 0.2 per cent of potentially affected buildings.
The data revealed that another 12 single building assessments (SBAs), which assess any risk to life as a result of cladding, are currently underway.
Only two buildings across Scotland currently have active remediation work being undertaken.
The Scottish Government defines a ‘single building assessment’ as one which “results in a report on any risk to human life that is (directly or indirectly) created or exacerbated by a building’s external wall cladding system”, and “what work (if any) is needed to eliminate or mitigate the risk”.
The statistics have come despite the Scottish Government scheme having already received 600 expressions of interest from those responsible for potentially impacted buildings.
The expressions of interest have been submitted for buildings in 18 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland, with the largest proportion relating to buildings in Glasgow.
This lack of progress contrasts with the situation south of the Border, where 2,490 buildings identified with unsafe cladding have started or completed remediation works, representing 48 per cent of buildings within the programme.
In England, there is a target to complete the remediation of high-rise buildings by 2029 and for mid-rise buildings to have either been completely remediated by the date, or to have a plan in place with a date set for completion. In Scotland, no such target exists.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have claimed there is “no excuse” for slow progress after the Grenfell tragedy eight years ago.
Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson, Willie Rennie, has warned that there are “no excuses” for the SNP making slow progress on removing dangerous cladding.
Mr Rennie said: “In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, there can be no excuses for making such glacial progress, but this SNP government continues to blunder their way through in slow motion.
“This is an issue where Scotland simply cannot afford to fall behind; by moving so sluggishly with the necessary building works, the SNP government are only increasing the risks to peoples’ lives.
“That’s why I am imploring ministers to urgently step up the pace in fixing at-risk buildings and keep homeowners, residents and local authorities informed on developments.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has introduced legislation mandating the use of fire-suppression systems in new-build multi-occupancy properties over 18 metres; introduced regulations prohibiting the use of combustible cladding materials on high-medium risk buildings; and introduced regulations requiring the installation of interlinked smoke alarms in all properties.
“We committed to addressing unsafe cladding and the wider system failures that allowed these risks to go unchallenged. That commitment is now underpinned by law through the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024, which took effect in January 2025.
“We are moving at pace to support the identification, assessment, mitigation and remediation of buildings affected by unsafe cladding. Where risks are identified and require immediate intervention, we will take appropriate action because protecting lives is our top priority and cannot wait.
“Since the Cladding Remediation Act came into effect in January, we have launched the single open call, backed by £10 million of Scottish Government funding, to enable residential property owners to apply for a Government-funded single building assessment.”
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