Structural safety group CROSS has issued a ‘red alert’ after receiving reports of construction work, including cladding remediation, blocking smoke vents on buildings.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government could have lost more than £500,000 due to “potential fraud” of the Building Safety Fund – a government funding scheme to fix fire safety issues of high-rises in England.

The National Audit Office is calling on the government to publish a target date for completing cladding remediation.

Lisa Dromgoole and Francesca Macmillan from international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson on new cladding legislation and other plans to enhance building safety in Scotland.

Government figures published in January 2024 reveal that 58% of buildings identified with unsafe cladding have yet to start remediation works.  

Housing secretary Michael Gove has called on cladding and insulation manufacturers to contribute to the cost of remediating unsafe buildings.