In recent years, cladding remediation and building safety for high-rise residential buildings has been front-and-centre of government housing construction policies across the UK.

In the aftermath of the Grenfell disaster in June 2017, the various devolved governments and the UK Government undertook work to improve and update building regulations and laws on building safety.

In June, the Scottish Government passed the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act with Paul McLennan MSP, minister of housing, stating to parliamentary colleagues that “keeping residents and homeowners safe is our priority and we are taking action to protect lives by ensuring the assessment and remediation of buildings with potentially unsafe cladding.”

The Scottish Government has led the way within the UK when it comes to legislation on building safety. They introduced a series of important measures including the Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety, the establishment of an Inventory of High-Rise Buildings and the Single Building Assessment Programme. Through their interventions the identified that 105 high-rise residential buildings have are at risk through the Single Building Assessment Programme.

Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, this week has announced that the Scottish Government will make cuts of up to £500 million across government departments to balance the 2025/26 Budget. As part of these cuts the Finance Secretary announced that £700,000 in funding will be cut from the cladding remediation programme, which comes only months after the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act was passed in the Scottish Parliament.

For many who are affected by the cladding crisis, this will be a disappointing and worrying development. However, the Scottish Government maintains its commitment to continue with the activities planned in the cladding remediation programme. The Act passed in June has prepared the groundwork for the creation of a Cladding Assurance Register. This database will be highly significant as it ensures a joint approach for every building in need of remedial works across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has proposed a ‘building safety levy’ within the next 12 months that will plug the gap in funding for building remediation projects. This legislation, announced in the Programme for Government last week, will be published by the government and passed by the Scottish Parliament come September 2025.

However, the need for remediation work to start is urgent for many homeowners – whether they be in Scotland or the rest of the UK. It is vital that government doesn’t leave it too late on building safety programmes. The recent decision to cut £700,000 from the programme highlights the fragile position some governments find themselves in but building safety can’t become fragile in the process.

To rectify this problem and ensure building safety programmes do have enough financial weight to carry out legislative obligations, residents, developers and governments must work together to ensure there is adequate financial support throughout the process.

It is imperative that all the major political parties at Holyrood work together over the coming months to ensure that the cladding remediation programme is funded sustainably through the new proposed levy for building safety. Scotland’s legislation on building safety is far more advanced than other devolved regions of the United Kingdom – now is the time to back it up with sustainable funding for work to begin.