Criticising the pace of remediation, more than seven years after the Grenfell fire killed 72 people, the deputy prime minister announced an acceleration plan for buildings of 18 metres and over, including severe penalties for freeholders who fail to act.

She also said that by the end of 2029, every building 11 metres and over with unsafe cladding will either have been fixed or have a completion date for remedial work, otherwise landlords will face hefty fines.

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, said: “More than seven years on from the Grenfell tragedy, thousands of people have been left living in homes across this country with dangerous cladding.

“The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe.

“Our remediation acceleration plan will ensure those responsible for making buildings safe deliver the change residents need and deserve.” 

The announcement of the plan follows letters sent by Ms Rayner to organisations responsible for fixing residential buildings with unsafe cladding. The letters set out new deadlines for the commencement of works and told them that they must act now or face the consequences.

The government said it has been engaging with mayors, local enforcement agencies and developers since July to address the unacceptably slow pace of remediation.

The government hopes to have reviewed more than 95% of buildings 11 metres and over by the end of next year. As well as identifying all unsafe buildings and fixing them faster, the plan’s other key objective is to protect residents from the financial burden of remediation.

Under the plan, developers will have to double the rate at which they fix the buildings they are responsible for. It will be backed by investment in enforcement so councils, fire and rescue authorities and the building safety regulator have the capacity to tackle hundreds of cases a year.

The government said only 30% of buildings in England identified to be at risk have been fixed, and potentially thousands more are yet to be identified.

Building safety minister Alex Norris added: “By setting a clear timeline and firm deadlines, today’s announcement is a major step towards ensuring every building is made safe. Our remediation acceleration plan will fix buildings faster, identify all buildings with unsafe cladding and support vulnerable residents. 

“This underscores our unwavering commitment to safeguarding residents and holding those responsible to account. We will not hesitate to actively pursue the owners of buildings who refuse to act.”