Parliament to debate cladding as hundreds of Sheffield leaseholders remain in unsafe buildings
It's now thought at least eight buildings are affected
Last updated 1st Feb 2021
We're told some flat leasholders in Sheffield are potentially facing bankrupcy after paying thousands to stay in unsafe buildings.
The true extent of the cladding scandal in the city is now becoming clear - it's thought more than eight high rises in the city are affected.
Labour will force a debate on the issue in Parliament today.
Jenni Garratt had to leave her home in the Wicker Riverside just two weeks before Christmas because it was missing fire alarms on some floors.
She says she's still on edge it could happen again:
"Every single week we don't know if the money will run out, the waking watch will be revoked, and we'll all be turfed out on the street. That is a genuine possibility every single week.
"And it's horrible. It's really really awful to wake up every day and think I don't know how many secure days I've got left in my house.
"It just feels so unfair that I've done nothing wrong but now my home has become this trap. It's a financaily trap, it's trapping me mentally, it's stopping me being able to think about what my plan is for the next few years."
Leaseholders at the Wicker Riverside building are now having to pay thousands for a waking watch on the floors where there aren't fire alarms.
The government's confirmed it will pay for the new alarms to be fitted but it could be late Februrary before it happens.
Jenni's now paying double what her mortage is every month towards the waking watch.
She says the longer it goes on, the more it costs her:
"I've paid over ÂŁ2,500 since this happened in December. That won't be the end of it - we are likely to need to pay more just to get to the point where the alarms are in, and then we are aware there are other defects: there's the cladding issue. Financially I just feel completely unstable.
"Everyone is going through such a hard time at the minute with the pandemic. Everyone's told home to stay safe but we're being told to stay home in unsafe buildings."
The Labour Party has tabled a debate on the issue today as part of an Opposition Day in Parliament.
They're calling for leaseholders to be protected from dangerous cladding.
The government has already launched a fund to pay for the removal of ACM cladding, and one to help with the costs of waking watches.
But Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield says it must do more:
"We're seeing people who did the right thing, often at the start of their careers, invested what savings they had, bought properties and are now facing unbearable costs and unbearable worry. It's deeply affecting people's mental health and their wellbeing and potentially facing them with bankruptcy.
"There are upwards of eight buildings that are affected one way or another. But it's also a problem across the country. In towns and cities everywhere people have been let down. It's in that sort of situation that the government has to step in and say - we're going to own this problem, and we're going to sort it out on your behalf'.
An spokesperson for the Ministy of Housing, Communities and Local Government said:
“Leaseholders shouldn’t have to worry about the unaffordable costs of fixing safety defects in high-rise buildings that they didn’t cause - and should be protected from large-scale remediation costs wherever possible.
“We all want to see homes made safer, as quickly as possible and backed by our £1.6 billion funding we are making good progress on remediating unsafe homes.
“The Building Safety Bill is the appropriate legislative mechanism for addressing these issues and will be brought forward in due course.”