Ipswich group to take part in cladding protests today
Many leaseholders affected by the cladding and building safety crisis are expected to gather at Parliament Square this afternoon
Ipswich Cladiators, a Suffolk-based campaign and support group for leaseholders affected by the cladding crisis, are expected to take part in a rally this afternoon to protest Government inaction in the issue.
The rally is being organised by 'End Our Cladding Crisis' campaign along with the National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) and charity Leasehold Knowledge Partnership.
Protestors will gather at Parliament Square today, in an attempt to urge MPs to pass key legislation that will exempt leaseholders from having to pay to fix fire-safety issues themselves. Many leaseholders are unaware of these costs when they acquire these houses, and they can rise to the tune of thousands of pounds.
Alex Dickin, founder of Ipswich Cladiators, says he will attend the protests in order to press their case: "Our message is that the Government should fully fund our remediation projects and any other related costs up-front, and then recoup the money from builders, developers and regulators who have failed to build safe homes."
The issue hits home for Mr. Dickin, who owns a one-bedroom flat along Ipswich Waterfront which. The building was deemed as at risk from fires in November 2020. Since then he has had to pay for repairs and 'waking watch' (fire marshalls patrolling the property regularly to ensure sufficient warning in the event of a fire).
This year he has been handed a bill for service charge costs of ÂŁ13 thousand pounds, up from ÂŁ1800 pounds last year.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay that much money and its my understanding that this is not the full amount I will have to pay as a leaseholder."
The protests will give people like Mr. Dickin a chance to voice their frustrations with Government inaction over the issue so far. But he is annoyed at the idea that he has to travel to London in order to be heard and have what he sees as straightforward problems, rectified.
"It's quite a frustrating thought that I have to book a day off work, go to London and stand at Westminster and demand for change, when the choice to resolve this crisis is obvious and easy", he says, before adding, "This kind of issue should be resolved so much quicker than it has been so far."
The Building Safety Bill, and along with it the McPartland-Smith amendments could offer leaseholders some respite but it still at the committee stage. If it passes both houses of Parliament, it will become a law only early next year, leaving affected leaseholders in limbo.