I am pleased that the Government is fully funding the
removal and replacement of cladding on high rise buildings.
I do believe though, that it is correct that the monies for
this should be sourced from within the existing budget of the DHCLG. Whenever
monies have to be found to pay for something, it has to come from somewhere,
and I believe the Secretary of State is acting appropriately and responsibly in
sourcing it from within the budget he is already responsible for. As the
Secretary of State has recently confirmed, the Government’s Affordable Homes
Programme remains over £9 billion, with £400 million of that now available in
2021-22. He also confirmed that the programme will still deliver the same
number of homes in the long term.
Therefore I believe the measures taken are appropriate in
tackling the important safety issue as a priority, while still ensuring the
building of affordable homes remains on track in the long term.
