Inside Suffolk's building safety crisis: Accountability and support
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt strongly believes that leaseholders shouldn't have to pay for the cost of fire risk remediation
In the last year, Ipswich MP Tom Hunt has become the messenger between the Government and leaseholders affected by the building safety crisis in the town.
When St Francis Tower was shrink-wrapped, with reportedly no notice or information given to residents, he brought the issue to the attention of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"What is very clear to me, is that under no circumstances should the leaseholders have to pay for remediation"
We caught up with him to discuss what he thinks the Government should do to help leaseholders and who he thinks should be held accountable for the crisis.
"This is a very serious issue and there are many buildings in Ipswich would have been affected. Obviously we need to make sure that we replace unsafe cladding, but we also need to make sure leaseholders don't pay for remediation because it's through no fault of their own that they've ended up in this position", he says.
The Government has established a Building Safety Fund for remediation work, but only those building over 18 metres in height are eligible. A Building Safety Bill is also in the works. It passed committee stage and is expected in 2022.
"Our Building Safety Bill, which marks the biggest improvements to building safety in 40 years – will bring more rights and protections for residents, and make homes safer across the country. The new Building Safety Regulator will enforce a more stringent regulatory regime for buildings over 18 metres and oversee the safety and performance of all buildings.
"We are providing £5.1 billion in grant funding to remediate ACM and other unsafe cladding on high rise blocks over 18m and protect leaseholders from costs, where developers or building owners are not paying.
"Most blocks of flats are safe and do not need expensive works - and we continue to drive extreme risk aversion out of the market, by encouraging a more proportionate, evidence-based approach from lenders and insurers."
Campaigners are calling on MPs to support the McPartland-Smith amendments to the bill which seeks to charge VAT on remediation and waking watch costs at 0 percent, introduce a Government-backed insurance scheme and offer legal protection to current and future leaseholders from costs being passed down to them.
Mr Hunt indicates that he will be supportive of these amendments. "In in the past, particularly with Fire Safety Bill, I have supported amendments to government legislation to provide more support for for leaseholders.
"I have also been part of discussions with the Secretary of State (for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) Michael Gove about trying to get the government to adopt a new approach that ensures that no leaseholders left behind."
He adds, " Ultimately, it is the government who will make the decision here about what they will do and only they can decide. I very much hope that they do the right thing and support leaseholders."
Mr Gove told Parliament in November that he expects to make an announcement measures to bring "some relief" to affected leaseholders "shortly".
In the month since, no new plans have been announced and leaseholders are starting to get impatient.
So where does Mr Hunt think accountability for the crisis lies?
"It's those who built the building in the first place and those who are responsible for the buildings being built safely, who should pay.
"But actually in Ipswich, some of these buildings were built before the recession (in 2009), and some of them have since gone out of business. So actually tracking down who these companies and individuals are isn't always straightforward."
He does insist however that the burden shouldn't be passed down to the leaseholder. "What is very clear to me is that under no circumstances should the leaseholder pay. So if need be then I think the taxpayers should step in. But only as a last resort, if we can't go after those who are responsible."
As we approach the end of the year, many leaseholders are starting to receive insurance, waking watch, service charge and other bills, alongside the estimates for the costs of remediation they currently have to pay. With Parliament now adjourned, any help is expected only next year. Yet, Mr Hunt says there is cause for some optimism.
"I've spoken to the Secretary of State myself and I've been talking to colleagues who have been far more involved than I have with this campaign, such as Stephen McPartland and Royston Smith and they are more hopeful about the government listening than they have been in the past.
"So going into Christmas, I guess there is perhaps more reason to be optimistic that we can get some change than has been the case in the past."