Residents of Falkirk asked to help Scottish Government prevent another Grenfell tragedy

Earlier this month a Holyrood committee launched a call for views on legislation which would give Scottish Ministers new powers to assess and remediate buildings with unsafe cladding in Scotland in order to prevent another tragedy like the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire ocurring.

The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, which is leading scrutiny of the plans, is now encouraging people in Falkirk, who live

in or own properties with potentially dangerous cladding, to respond to the public consultation on the Scottish Government’s Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill.

Under proposals in the Bill, the Scottish Government would also create and maintain a Cladding Assurance Register to give residents confidence about the assessment and works undertaken once those buildings are remediated.

The Bill would also give Ministers the power to establish a Responsible Developers Scheme, to support engagement by developers and encourage them to pay for or carry out remediation work.

As the Scottish Government has not carried out public consultation on the Bill, the committee’s call for views will be critical in providing stakeholders including owners

and residents of properties in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding, developers, insurers, surveyors, and fire safety experts an opportunity to comment on the

proposals.

Committee convener, Ariane Burgess MSP, said: “Cladding was a major contributing factor to the fire which destroyed Grenfell Tower in June 2017, one of the UK's

worst modern disasters, and we want people in Falkirk to have their say on this new Bill.

“As our consultation is the only opportunity for the public to comment on the proposals, we are encouraging people in Falkirk who live in or own properties with potentially dangerous cladding to respond.

“It’s vital we hear from the owners and residents of property in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding, to hear if this Bill addresses their concerns, as well as from industry professionals and developers about their views.

“The Committee understands the urgency in addressing the issue of unsafe cladding, and this Bill represents a critical step towards achieving safer conditions for all those affected in the Falkirk area.”

People can give their views up until Friday, December 8.

Visit the website for more information.