Grenfell cladding money mostly spent on other things, Scottish Government admits
The Scottish Government has admitted most of a £97million pot of cash given to it by Westminster to fix unsafe cladding after the Grenfell disaster has been spent on other things.
And seven years after the tragedy in London, which claimed 72 lives, ministers still don’t know how many buildings are affected in Scotland.
Ministers set up a cladding remediation programme following the disaster and identified 107 buildings across Scotland that required work to make them safe.
READ MORE:'Plot to jail Alex Salmond' involved civil servants and government advisors, ex-SNP minister claims
READ MORE:John Swinney faces school meals humiliation in vote over scrapping manifesto commitment
In the 2021-22 Budget the UK Government handed Holyrood £97million for cladding remediation as Barnett consequentials – a share of the amount it will spend in England.
Of that, £9million has been spent on removing and assessing unsafe cladding including £2million paid to security guards on dangerous sites.
Of the homes already identified one building has been completed and work has started on just five more.
It comes after a damning final report into the Grenfell fire was published last week highlighting the greed and complacency of authorities who ignored tenants’ concerns about safety in the high rise block.
Admitting the whole cash pot was now gone, the Scottish Government insisted it will still pay to fix the cladding in buildings identified with costs dependent on future assessments.
A spokesman said: “Barnett consequentials form part of the Scottish budget for the year in which they are received. In this sense there is not a ‘pot’ of money waiting to be spent.
“Ministers have said that they will spend the equivalent value of those consequentials on cladding remediation at the time it is appropriate to spend it.”
In Wales, 37 buildings have been completed and work has started on 86 more while in England 1350 have been completed and work is under way on 949.
We asked officials here how many buildings are affected.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “There are potentially a much larger number of buildings in Scotland affected by cladding. We are continuing to take steps to improve our understanding of the number and nature of these buildings.”
Ministers were urged to get a grip by opposition politicians.
Scottish Labour’s Mark Griffin said: “It’s utterly appalling that the SNP is dragging its heels on removing cladding.”
Miles Briggs, the Scottish Tory housing spokesman, said: “Ministers must come clean on why they are clueless about the number of buildings that have this dangerous material and why the money has run out.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.