Government extends cladding remediation funding to lower-rise buildings from August

The government announced that from August buildings under 36ft (11m) will be eligible for funding to remove dangerous cladding, addressing safety concerns raised since the Grenfell Tower fire, the Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon said.

Previously, financial support was limited to blocks 59ft (18m) or higher, leaving leaseholders in lower-rise properties to cover remediation costs themselves. The change aims to prioritise properties based on the risk they pose to residents rather than height alone.

The extension is part of the Remediation Acceleration Plan published in December 2024, which builds on measures following the Grenfell inquiry. The inquiry found flammable cladding was the principal factor in the rapid spread of the 2017 fire that killed 72 people.

The government said applications will open from August, but did not specify the total amount of funding to be made available. The plan also sets targets for 2029: all buildings 36ft or above with unsafe cladding should have been remediated, have a remediation completion date, or face severe penalties for landlords who fail to act.

Latest figures published in June show that by the end of May 2026, remediation work had started or completed on 2,331 buildings. In total, 4,411 residential buildings of 36ft and over have been identified with unsafe cladding.

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, welcomed the decision and described it as an important step to accelerate remediation. She said height alone is not a reliable measure of risk and the change will help direct capacity where it is needed most.

Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon said residents should not worry about living in homes with dangerous, flammable cladding simply because their building was previously too short to qualify for support. The government said the measures are intended to ensure building safety issues are fixed quickly and fairly without leaving leaseholders facing unreasonable costs.