Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on leaseholders who have been forced to declare bankruptcy because of inability to pay combustible building cladding remediation costs.

The Department does not hold this information. The Government has committed £200 million for the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on private sector residential high-rise buildings.

We are aware of concerns leaseholders have about meeting the cost of remediation of fire safety issues other than ACM cladding remediation. Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they should consider all routes to meet costs, to protect leaseholders – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work. However, we do not want the cost to be a barrier to remediation, so the Department is considering options to support leaseholders with Her Majesty’s Treasury.