Ministers face increasing pressure to accelerate efforts to eliminate dangerous coating of buildings after a new report warned that 60 percent of buildings with hazardous cladding materials have not yet been identified.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has projected a tentative completion date of 2035 for the cladding repair.

However, with 7,200 or more potential buildings still to be identified (up to 60 per cent), the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that many people We still don’t know when their buildings will be safe.contributing to “residents suffering significant financial and emotional distress.”

A previous NAO report also found that incomplete building records, construction materials that differ from those on the plans and difficulties in locating owners can make it difficult to identify affected buildings.

Gareth Davies, director of the NAO, expressed concern about the Government’s approach, saying: “Seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire, there has been progress but there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the number of buildings needing remediation. costs, deadlines and recovery. public spending.

“There is a long way to go before all affected buildings are safe.”

The estimated cost of remediating dangerous cladding is £16.6bn, with the Government pledging £9.1bn.

However, taxpayer contributions are capped at £5.1bn, putting pressure on the MHCLG to recover costs through a Construction Safety Levy, which will not be operational until autumn 2025.

Almost half of the 4,771 buildings with dangerous cladding in the Government’s portfolio have not begun repairs, and only around a third have completed the necessary work.

The Government’s approach to cladding repair currently relies on building owners voluntarily participating in grant programs to address the problem.

The report notes that this model has led to slower progress than anticipated, as many building owners are reluctant to participate or face challenges navigating the process.

Despite these obstacles, the Government has made significant progress in identifying high-rise buildings over 18 meters with hazardous cladding, achieving a 98 per cent identification rate for these structures.

However, there is still no mandatory registration for medium-rise buildings (between 11 and 18 meters), which are more numerous and can present fire risks.

The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which tragically claimed 72 lives, brought widespread attention to the risks of flammable cladding.

The recent Grenfell inquiry highlighted the role of manufacturers in supplying unsuitable materials for high-rise buildings.

The fire exposed systemic failings as many unsafe materials, including Reynobond 55 PE, RS5000 and K15 – products linked to serious fire risks – are still in use across the UK.

Campaigners have argued that the Government’s current approach, which requires building owners to voluntarily identify hazardous materials, needs to be reviewed.

Giles Grover from End of Our Cladding Scandal said Yo earlier this year that ministers should prioritize collecting detailed data on high-risk materials and apply stricter oversight to building owners to speed up remediation efforts.

He emphasized the ongoing impact on residents, highlighting the financial and emotional cost of living in unsafe buildings.

Grover said: “The previous government decided to give up collecting vital information about the hazardous materials wrapped around our homes, partly because they knew that successive governments had allowed combustible products to be placed in thousands of buildings across the country without no problem. regulatory oversight.”

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner previously pledged to accelerate remediation efforts and outlined plans for additional safety measures in the coming months.