The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has provided over £8m in funding to councils to boost enforcement teams.

The minister pressed councils to explain how this funding is being used to force rogue building owners to act.  

He said: “Councils and fire and rescue services play a crucial role in making sure dangerous buildings get fixed when building owners are stalling.

“Lots of councils are already doing great work in this area but all councils need to take the appropriate action to protect residents and make sure those responsible for making homes safe do so without any further delay.

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“The warning to owners refusing fix their buildings is clear — get on with remediation or action will be taken against you.”

Yesterday, council leaders discussed action they are taking using legal powers, including hearing from representatives from Newham Council who have prosecuted a building owner for delays in removing dangerous cladding — a significant step forward in the fight to protect residents from unsafe cladding.

Where remediation is not progressing, building owners should expect to face robust enforcement action from regulators – including councils – with the full support of government behind them.

This commitment is underlined in the government’s joint statement with building safety bodies on enforcing the remediation of fire safety defects.