South Yorkshire campaigners to join London protest against unsafe cladding
Demonstrators will gather outside Parliament this afternoon (16th September)
Later today, protesters from South Yorkshire will be among those rallying in Parliament Square to demand change on a variety of issues, from cladding and insulation, to ground rent, services charges and increasing insurance.
The Leaseholders Together Rally, an event organised by The National Leaseholder Campaign, Leasehold Knowledge Partnership and the End Our Cladding Scandal Campaign, will be protesting 'everything leasehold'.
MP for Croydon Central and the Shadow Minister for Policing and Fire services, Sarah Taylor, will be among many guest speakers at todays event, speaking at 1pm.
Mike Amesbury, Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Weaver Vale MP, and Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston and Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, are among returning speakers to the rally.
Will Martin, from Sheffield, is one of the organisers. He told Greatest Hits Radio: "My own Government has not taken the adequate steps to make sure that buildings like mine and like all the other buildings have not got this dangerous material removed from it, four years on from Grenfell. Casting aside who's responsible for payment, that is my general feeling four years on, a complete sense of abandonment.
"The fundamental fact is that every person should have a right to live in a safe home, and at present, there are millions of people across the UK that go to bed in these unsafe buildings and that's not acceptable in our eyes.
"We're hoping that our voices are heard loud and clear outside Parliament, and that some action is taken."
Since the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, there has been widespread concern over the fire safety of tall buildings, especially those that are covered with potentially flammable cladding.
Currently, leaseholders are responsible for paying for repairs to cladding, usually through a service charge to their lease.
In England there are around 4.6 million leasehold homes, with 68% of leases being flats and 32% being houses, according to data from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Additionally, 28% of houses in the North West region are leasehold.
The Leasehold and Commonhold Reform was published in August, and reported that 'Leaseholders report a range of problems, including: high service charges and a lack of transparency over what they are being charged for; freeholders who block attempts by leaseholders to exercise the Right to Manage; excessive administration charges and charges for applications to extend lease agreements or enfranchise; and a lack of knowledge over their rights and obligations.'
In February 2021, Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, said "The government is acutely aware of the challenges faced by shared owners, and we’re going to make particular provision to protect them".
End Our Cladding Scandal tweeted in response, 'We're still waiting'.
The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill, a bill that would ban any landlord under most types of residential lease from demanding or receiving any financial payment in the form of rent, is currently in its 3rd reading in The House of Lords.
Community housing leases, home finance plan leases, business leases, and statutory lease extensions would be exempt from the ban on ground rents if the bill is passed.