Welsh Lib Dems push for Welsh gov to prioritise safety of buildings in Wales

Today (20^th February 2024) the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Labour government to prioritise fire safety for at risk buildings.

Safety regulations have been toughened following the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people.

However, the Welsh Government has been criticised for lacking urgency in their approach to resolving the issue of building safety. With critics citing issues relating to remediation schemes for developers of social housing and an absence of any support for private leaseholders.

Now the Welsh Lib Dems are calling for the Welsh Government to start prioritising building safety.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“We urgently call on the Welsh Labour Government to start prioritising building safety here in Wales.

It has been nearly twelve months since the Welsh Government and developers’ contract was signed and yet sadly the remediation process remains painfully slow.

There are concerns that the decision to allocate the responsibility of overseeing the remediation process to already struggling Local Authorities is failing. And these concerns have only been worsened by developers breaching contracts and ignoring remediation timelines.

Furthermore, given the special governance measures that have been put in place for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, it remains important that cladding victims are reassured that the fire service will continue to prioritise critical safety initiatives during this time.

The Welsh Government needs to convince victims of safety defects that their approach is working and that their wellbeing is being prioritised, but so far nothing is being done.”