I was delighted by recent announcements of further support for leaseholders affected by historic building safety issues. Since the Grenfell tragedy and following inquiry, too many leaseholders have been facing concerns over both the safety of their homes and the potential cost of remedial work.
The most recent measures announced protect all leaseholders in medium and high rise buildings from costs for the removal of unsafe cladding; allow cladding companies to be sued and subject to fines for defective products; and legislate to make sure the industry pays to fix historic problems, with new powers for Government to block planning permission and building control sign-off on developments for those unwilling to make commitments to resolve these issues.
These steps will ensure greater safety and security for leaseholders across the UK. However, while all of the measures referenced above will ensure those affected are treated fairly and consistently, I am concerned that a further measure will leave leaseholders in Runnymede and Weybridge with less support than those in other areas.
Last month the Secretary of State for Levelling Up announced that leaseholders with properties valued at less than £175,000 (or £325,000 in Greater London) will be protected from all remediation costs. Being located just outside of London, with one national threshold set for the rest of the country, regardless of house prices, means in practice that none of my constituents will benefit from this protection, while their neighbours across the river do.
I know many people associate property value with personal wealth and success, but high housing costs locally are already a burden to many on low or standardised incomes, and present the greatest pressure on household budgets. When National Minimum Wage is set at a standard rate across England, as are salaries for teachers, nurses, police and many others, these residents in high cost areas already see more of their income taken up simply meeting basic housing needs. It does not seem right to subject these residents to further costs simply due to the area in which they live.
I have therefore written to the Rt Hon Michael Gove urging him to review this policy and the proposed thresholds, and to see how this protection can be applied at a consistent rate across the country, so that constituents in Runnymede and Weybridge and similar high cost areas are not excluded from such support.
