Barnet’s Conservative councillors have rejected a motion from Labour councillor and London Assembly Candidate, Anne Clarke, to support the national #EndOurCladdingScandal campaign.
The #EndOurCladdingScandal campaign calls on the Government to take the following 10 steps:
- The government must lead an urgent national effort to remove all dangerous cladding from buildings by June 2022.
- The Building Safety Fund must cover all buildings, regardless of height, and a range of internal and external fire safety defects, not just cladding.
- The government should provide the money up front and then seek to recover it from any responsible parties or via a temporary levy on development.
- Social housing providers must have full and equal access to the fund.
- The government must compel building owners or managers to be honest with residents about fire safety defects.
- The government should cover the cost of interim safety measures.
- The government should act as an insurer of last resort and underwrite insurance where premiums have soared.
- A fairer, faster process is needed to replace the EWS form and funding is necessary to ensure all buildings requiring a form are surveyed within 12 months.
- Mental health support must be offered to affected residents.
- Protecting residents from historic and future costs must be a key commitment of new building safety legislation.
The motion also asked the Conservative Council Leader to say whether he opposes the Government’s controversial ‘Planning for the Future’ proposals that would see an increase in tower blocks and overdevelopment in Barnet. The motion was debated at this week’s Full Council meeting (20 October). To sign our online petition follow the link below.
https://www.barnetlabour.org.uk/2020/10/26/end-our-cladding-scandal/
All Barnet’s Conservative councillors failed to vote for the motion, including their candidate for the London Assembly.
Cllr Clarke said:
“While the government wants to build, build, and build, the time to fix, fix, and fix is now. The next fire won’t wait for our government to faff about with finger pointing, priority shifting and blame.”
Ends.
Notes:
- Details of Cllr Clarke’s motion can be found here: https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s60806/Amendments%20to%20Opposition%20Motion%20in%20the%20name%20of%20Cllr%20Ross%20Houston%20-%20Stop%20overdevelopment%20in%20Barnet.pdf
For more information contact: cllr.a.clarke@barnet.gov.uk