Ipswich residents say repairs to dangerous cladding won't give them the last five years back
The Government has confirmed it will fund the cost of fixing the cladding at Churchmans House
Last updated 19th Sep 2024
Residents in Ipswich affected by the cladding crisis say they've had little relief as the government has confirmed they will fund the cost of fixing the cladding.
Those living at Churchmans House first found out about the cladding issues on their building five years ago, at the end of 2019, two years after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017.
Following that tragedy, efforts were made to identify buildings across the country with unsafe cladding.
Repairs are required for the buildings affected, but many repairs are yet to take place, with hundreds of buildings across the country still encased in dangerous cladding, including here in Suffolk.
Earlier this week it was announced that the Government has now promised to pay for remedial works to Churchmans House, after receiving a letter from Ipswich MP Jack Abbott who urged the Government to fund remediation works and protect leaseholders.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety and Homelessness, Rushanara Ali, confirmed the action, saying Churchmans House is eligible for funding to remediate all necessary works identified in the Fire Risk Assessment of External Walls.
The Minister went on to state that “The Grant Funding Agreement has been executed and an additional pre-tender support payment is due to be released next week.”
The Minister also confirmed to Mr Abbott that “no contribution from leaseholders will be sought for eligible works”.
This represents important progress for Churchmans House leaseholders, who have lived through uncertainty and concern for their future.
Jack Abbott, MP for Ipswich, said:
“I am pleased that the Minister has now confirmed with me that Churchmans House is fully eligible for government funding to fix external cladding, and that extra pre-tender support payment will be made available.
“This is a crucial step forward for leaseholders at Churchmans House, who today are a step closer to justice and normality.
“The Minister has assured me that the cost of remediation will not fall on the leaseholders - this is a welcome promise.
“There is still progress to be made on this issue, and it must be ensured that those responsible for the building safety crisis are held accountable.
“I will continue to work proactively and constructively with local residents and the Government to ensure the pledges made in the wake of the Grenfell Inquiry are practicably enforced as swiftly as possible."
Chu Man, from the Churchmans House Residents Management Company, said:
“The news is an important milestone of progress, and my thanks go to Mr Abbott for helping to push the Government in the right direction.
“After years of uncertainty, it is great news that the Government will make funding available for external walls part of the remediation work at Churchmans, the cost of which will not fall onto leaseholders.”
“It is welcome that the costs of cladding remediation will not fall onto leaseholders, but they must do more to help avoid leaseholders having to resort to expensive legal action to make those who are liable pay.
“There is still so much progress to be made, and so many questions left unanswered, as the Government grapples with the decades of institutional failure that led to this crisis.”
We spoke to Chu personally, he told us that no amount of money will bring back the last five years he has spent having to face the ongoing issues with his home and the impact it has had on him: "My home has now become a place that causes endless loads of anxiety, stress and grief."
For Chu the most infuriating thing, has been that his life has been put on hold.
He initially planned to live at Churchmans House for five years before leaving and buying a home but has been unable to leave as he can't sell the property due to the safety issues.
He also worries about how long it will take to complete the work to fix the cladding: "If work does start next year in the summer we're probably looking at a minimum of 12-18 months, maybe 24 depending on if things run smoothly...So by the time it's done in 2027 if all goes well, that's ten years since Grenfell.
"It will be five years since the process started with the initial application building safety funding...I've lost half a decade."
Although he believes this is a step in the right direction he still has many concerns about the other internal fire safety issues: "You can't just make a building half safe."