The extent of Scotland’s cladding crisis continues to worsen after it was estimated that nearly 1,500 tower blocks are still awaiting the removal of dangerous cladding.
In addition to the scale of the problem, the Scottish Government has assessed that the final bill of the 15-year remedial programme could cost £1.7 billion over a 15-year period.
Statistics published by the Scottish Government show there are around 13,400 tower blocks in cities across Scotland rising higher than 11 meters - the new height threshold set following the catastrophic blaze at Grenfell Tower in 2017.
The fire burned for 60 hours at the 24-storey Kensington tower block, claiming 70 lives at the scene with two more later succumbing to their injuries in hospital.
The extent of Scotland’s cladding crisis continues to worsen after it was estimated that nearly 1,500 tower blocks are still awaiting the removal of dangerous cladding (stock image)
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It was later determined that the polythene core of the aluminium-composite cladding panels was responsible for the rapid movement of the fire from an electrical fault in a fourth-storey fridge, moving quickly to engulf the building.
Safety checks have shown that somewhere between 1250-1450 buildings in Scotland required remedial work to their own cladding, in order to “alleviate external-wall system life-safety fire risk”.
Work could be required on around 250 buildings classed as high-rise (over 18 meters), while 1,020-1,200 mid-rise residential buildings are expected to require maintenance to correct the same issues.
Twelve months ago, Scottish ministers passed the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill in Holyrood, allowing the government to target properties for assessment and remediate buildings with dangerous cladding.
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In England, work is either underway or completed on more than 2,400 buildings identified with unsafe cladding - 49 per cent of the buildings assessed for remedial work.
The 2029 target to complete high rise remediation and provide a completion date for mid-rise towers has spurred the Scottish Liberal Democrats to light a fire under the Scottish government and question the sluggish start to the Scottish programme.
The party’s communities spokesman Willie Rennie MSP accused the Scottish government of “refusing to set” a similar deadline and accused the SNP of being “inexplicably slow” in their provision of progress.
Rennie said: “In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, ministers should be bending over backwards to remove unsafe cladding but these figures show that the SNP are nowhere: they have made next to no progress, leaving so many homeowners and residents in a distressing limbo.
“The Scottish government have repeatedly failed to appreciate the dangers posed by certain building materials.
“They have refused to set a deadline for removing cladding and they have taken an unbelievably blasé approach to the problems of RAAC concrete.”
The response of the Scottish Government maintains the programme has “moved at pace” to identify Scotland’s dangerous buildings and “all relevant buildings” included in the pilot program were now undergoing assessment.
A Government spokesperson said: "We will also be launching the second stage of that scheme later this month, allowing owners to be able to apply for Scottish Government funding for measures recommended by an assessment.
“Any homeowners, including social landlords or residents with concerns about cladding issues, are encouraged to contact the Cladding Remediation Programme directly.”
The UK Government published details of its building safety levy rates in the spring, which will come into effect in autumn 2026 with the aim of raising a significant portion of England’s £3.4 billion cladding remediation bill.
The Scottish government has now published their plans for the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill expected to raise £30 million each year towards Scotland’s sluggish programme.
SNP Public Finance Minister, Ivan McKee says the government was “committed to doing what is right and necessary” to address the challenge of Scotland’s cladding crisis, beginning with the bill’s role in financing the programme.
“I know that developers share our determination to keep people safe,”he said,“and this levy will ensure they make a fair contribution to these costs, just as they will be doing in England.
“I also welcome the continued cooperation of developers who have accepted responsibility for the assessments and any required mitigation and remediation of their buildings.”
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