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More than nine years after the blaze claimed the lives of 72 people, detectives investigating the Grenfell fire have passed files of evidence to prosecutors.But the impact of Grenfell has stretched much wider than the immediate tragedy, with building safety now in the spotlight more than ever before.According to the latest figures, 4,724 buildings higher than 11 metres are monitored for unsafe cladding and work has failed to start on almost half (46%) of them. That is roughly 103,000 homes still waiting for action.Work on dozens of social housing blocks has also yet to be completed as councils demand the Government eases borrowing restrictions to help them confront the challenge.A sector source said: ‘This hasn't happened as quickly as stock-holding councils and residents would have liked but local authorities have done the best they can do. Generally speaking, with councils the problem isn't a lack of will.'After the full Grenfell Tower Inquiry report highlighted the catastrophic and systemic failures in keeping people safe, the demand for action has only grown.This week – in a bid to tackle the failings of the previous regime and holes in the legislation – the Government took further steps to reduce the number of unsafe buildings, with the second reading of the Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding) Bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday.However, the Bill stops short of matching a private members' Bill put forward earlier this year by Baroness Pinnock, a housing spokesperson for the Lib Dems in the House of Lords.Baroness Pinnock told The MJ: ‘In many ways I despair. I don't think any height threshold should be applied. There is evidence that the safety of a building cannot be defined entirely on its height. If a building has been deemed unsafe that needs to be put right.‘There's been a failure to grip this situation over the last nine years. The Government hasn't done nearly enough. Those who caused the problem should put it right. I will be making amendments based on the Bill I put together with expert help.Since the acceleration plan was published, more than 470 buildings are reported to have completed cladding remediation, but legal and construction capacity barriers have stood in the way of the push, leaving councils hoping for beefed up enforcement tools they can use when building owners drag their feet.‘If car manufacturers find a fault in their vehicles, they recall them at their expense and put it right. Surely the safety of our homes is as important as the cars we drive?'Despite the criticism, local government is hopeful the Government's Bill, which has been described by Whitehall as a ‘major milestone' in its ‘mission to fix the building safety crisis', will help move the dial.But the Government admits that, almost a decade on from Grenfell, there are still ‘too many buildings with unsafe cladding and too many people feeling trapped'.And so, ministers want to crack down on those responsible for fixing unsafe buildings by holding them to account through additional legal duties and ‘strong sanctions'.The Bill prompts questions about the effectiveness of the Government's December 2024 announcement of a ‘remediation acceleration plan' when it said it was taking ‘radical action' to speed up the removal of unsafe cladding.Back then, housing secretary Angela Rayner, said: ‘The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe.'Since the acceleration plan was published, more than 470 buildings are reported to have completed cladding remediation, but legal and construction capacity barriers have stood in the way of the push, leaving councils hoping for beefed up enforcement tools they can use when building owners drag their feet.Until now enforcement has relied on the Housing Act 2004 and councils' own initiative, with local authorities acting against 929 buildings.But sending letters with deadlines to organisations responsible for fixing residential buildings with unsafe cladding only goes so far.The Government recognises that more needs to be done and it is now time for organisations to take accountability and face the consequences with the Bill giving councils an explicit statutory enforcement duty.Building safety minister Baroness Blake, a former chair of Core Cities UK, said: ‘It's unacceptable that so many people have been left living in homes with dangerous cladding, anxiously waiting for those responsible to take action.'Either the baroness is criticising her own Government, or she does not seem to count ministers as among ‘those responsible' people.‘This Bill is a milestone in our mission to right these wrongs and ensure everyone feels confident in the safety of their home', the baroness continued.Key measures in the Bill include stronger enforcement, backed by criminal and financial penalties.As was the case at the end of 2024, the expectation remains that, by the end of 2029, every building higher than 11 metres with unsafe cladding should either have been remediated or have a clear date for completion – the key change being that tougher powers will become available before this.As a safety net, the Government said local authorities will be able to demand ownership information and ‘step in and carry out remediation if those responsible continuously fail to act – reassuring residents that works will go ahead'. This will involve serving a remediation notice, applying to a tribunal for an order and taking over the works before finally recovering their enforcement costs from fines that will then have to be collected.But courts have not always awarded full costs to councils and so the success of these latest measures depends on whether local authorities will be able to recover their legal expenses.And so, it remains unclear how many cash-strapped councils will be rushing to enforce this duty to remediate when the latest legislation arrives on the statute books.The Local Government Association (LGA) has already said efforts have been limited by a shortage of environmental health officers.And, according to the latest local government capacity survey, housing officers, who also face competing regulatory pressures, were the hardest environmental health posts to fill, with an estimated one in five positions vacant.Baroness Pinnock said: ‘It is cynical for central government to pass the buck onto local authorities that are cash-strapped and will not have the skills anymore. Instead of the Government having to take the flak, that flak will be passed onto local authorities. That's not fair.‘It's a huge scandal and it needs to be put right. The fear is we could have another disaster on our hands. I am not letting this go.'Chair of the LGA's inclusive growth committee Cllr Carl Cashman said new burdens would need to be fully funded.He added: ‘Those responsible for the cladding crisis should pay for remediation and in principle the LGA believes the costs of enforcement should be met through fines, otherwise it is a burden on council taxpayers and residents.'The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it was conducting a new burdens assessment for the Bill to ‘understand what additional support, if any, is needed for regulators to comply with the new duties'.An MHCLG spokesperson added: ‘If additional funding is required we aim to provide this ahead of costs being incurred.‘Enforcement action generates additional costs for enforcement authorities so it's right that certain fine monies can be used to cover future enforcement action.‘Our objective is to ensure all buildings have a path to remediation and that, by the end of 2029, buildings are remediated or have a clear route and completion date, with those who fail to act in a timely way and without good reason facing significant consequences. But progress is still not fast enough in too many cases. That is why the Bill strengthens accountability and provides additional powers to drive remediation where progress is being delayed by any party.'Those living in tower blocks will be hoping this time the promises are delivered.

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SAFETY

Post-Grenfell progress still under scrutiny

By Dan Peters | 28 October 2026

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