Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the costs to the public purse of leaseholders (a) losing their home and (b) declaring bankruptcy as a result of the costs of resolving fire safety issues.

This question was answered on 26th April 2021
The Chancellor of the Exchequer liaises with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a wide range of issues, including on the Government’s £5 billion investment in building safety.

On 10 February 2021, the Government announced a 5-point plan for investment in building safety, with £3.5 billion earmarked for the removal of unsafe cladding on high-rise residential buildings, as well as a new finance scheme for cladding removal on buildings between 11 and 18 metres where no leaseholder will ever pay more than £50 a month.

These measures will provide certainty to residents and lenders, boosting the housing market and helping to ensure that developers, investors and building owners who have the means make a fair contribution to costs of remediation, without passing on costs to leaseholders.