The Two-Speed System: Who Gets Fixed First and Why?
Cladding Matters returns on Friday 29th August with a closer look at a question that continues to define life for thousands of leaseholders and tenants across the country: why are some buildings being remediated swiftly, while others are stuck in a state of uncertainty?
There is no national queue. No single list of prioritised buildings. No unified schedule or transparent roadmap.
Yet across the UK, we’re seeing two very different experiences play out. Some blocks are encased in scaffolding one week and on their way to completion the next. Others haven’t seen a single workman arrive despite years of applications, surveys, and government headlines. This inconsistent progress has become known to many as the two-speed system.
What drives this imbalance? At the core is a fragmented and sometimes chaotic web of remediation routes.
Some buildings fall under the Building Safety Fund, intended for blocks over 18 metres with the most dangerous cladding. Others are covered by the Cladding Safety Scheme, which applies to medium-rise blocks between 11 and 18 metres.
Then there are developments where a responsible developer has signed the government’s remediation contract and is expected to carry out the work themselves. That’s assuming the original developer still exists, accepts liability, and agrees to act. In too many cases, those assumptions fall flat.
It doesn’t end there. Social housing providers, managing agents, and leaseholder-owned freeholds all face different routes and hurdles. Some rely on local council approvals. Others need to satisfy multiple layers of legal and funding checks.
And with no central enforcement body chasing progress across the board, delays go unchallenged in too many cases.
The result is a growing disparity between buildings that are getting fixed and those that are falling further behind. Residents see identical blocks in neighbouring towns on completely different timelines, with no clear explanation why.
In response, the government has introduced deadlines. All buildings over 18 metres should be fully remediated by 2029. Buildings between 11 and 18 metres must have a clear plan in place by then.
These targets are designed to add structure and urgency, with the Building Safety Regulator now holding powers to enforce progress where necessary. Yet deadlines are only useful if matched by funding, capacity, and political will.
There is also the broader question of what gets fixed and what gets missed. Much of the focus has been on external cladding systems, which is understandable given their role in past tragedies.
But there are countless buildings with internal fire safety defects, faulty compartmentation, or inadequate insulation that remain outside the main remediation spotlight.
When work does begin, it’s rarely joined up. A building undergoing cladding replacement might not benefit from energy efficiency improvements or updated alarms unless another funding stream is applied for separately.
That creates missed opportunities and further burdens on residents.
In this week’s episode, we’ll be discussing how this two-speed system has come about, what’s being done to close the gap, and what the future holds for buildings still caught in limbo.
We’ll also look at the emotional and financial toll on residents who feel left behind, despite living in buildings with the same risk profile as those already fixed.
The conversation will be chaired by Gareth Wax, producer and director of Cladding Matters, and joined as always by Hamish McLay and Stephen Day, a resident of Royal Artillery Quays who continues to speak from lived experience and a wider understanding of the national picture.
Together, we’ll be breaking down what’s changing and what’s not fast enough.
On Friday 29th August at 1pm, tune in for Cladding Matters: The Two-Speed System – Who Gets Fixed First and Why?
It promises to be a timely, thoughtful look at an issue affecting thousands of homes, and a chance to ask whether this postcode-based patchwork is really the best we can do.
PS:
For content enquiries: hm@searchandconveysolutions.co.uk
For podcast/media info: gareth@mphats.com
There is no national queue. No single list of prioritised buildings. No unified schedule or transparent roadmap.
Yet across the UK, we’re seeing two very different experiences play out. Some blocks are encased in scaffolding one week and on their way to completion the next. Others haven’t seen a single workman arrive despite years of applications, surveys, and government headlines. This inconsistent progress has become known to many as the two-speed system.
What drives this imbalance? At the core is a fragmented and sometimes chaotic web of remediation routes.
Some buildings fall under the Building Safety Fund, intended for blocks over 18 metres with the most dangerous cladding. Others are covered by the Cladding Safety Scheme, which applies to medium-rise blocks between 11 and 18 metres.
Then there are developments where a responsible developer has signed the government’s remediation contract and is expected to carry out the work themselves. That’s assuming the original developer still exists, accepts liability, and agrees to act. In too many cases, those assumptions fall flat.
It doesn’t end there. Social housing providers, managing agents, and leaseholder-owned freeholds all face different routes and hurdles. Some rely on local council approvals. Others need to satisfy multiple layers of legal and funding checks.
And with no central enforcement body chasing progress across the board, delays go unchallenged in too many cases.
The result is a growing disparity between buildings that are getting fixed and those that are falling further behind. Residents see identical blocks in neighbouring towns on completely different timelines, with no clear explanation why.
In response, the government has introduced deadlines. All buildings over 18 metres should be fully remediated by 2029. Buildings between 11 and 18 metres must have a clear plan in place by then.
These targets are designed to add structure and urgency, with the Building Safety Regulator now holding powers to enforce progress where necessary. Yet deadlines are only useful if matched by funding, capacity, and political will.
There is also the broader question of what gets fixed and what gets missed. Much of the focus has been on external cladding systems, which is understandable given their role in past tragedies.
But there are countless buildings with internal fire safety defects, faulty compartmentation, or inadequate insulation that remain outside the main remediation spotlight.
When work does begin, it’s rarely joined up. A building undergoing cladding replacement might not benefit from energy efficiency improvements or updated alarms unless another funding stream is applied for separately.
That creates missed opportunities and further burdens on residents.
In this week’s episode, we’ll be discussing how this two-speed system has come about, what’s being done to close the gap, and what the future holds for buildings still caught in limbo.
We’ll also look at the emotional and financial toll on residents who feel left behind, despite living in buildings with the same risk profile as those already fixed.
The conversation will be chaired by Gareth Wax, producer and director of Cladding Matters, and joined as always by Hamish McLay and Stephen Day, a resident of Royal Artillery Quays who continues to speak from lived experience and a wider understanding of the national picture.
Together, we’ll be breaking down what’s changing and what’s not fast enough.
On Friday 29th August at 1pm, tune in for Cladding Matters: The Two-Speed System – Who Gets Fixed First and Why?
It promises to be a timely, thoughtful look at an issue affecting thousands of homes, and a chance to ask whether this postcode-based patchwork is really the best we can do.
PS:
For content enquiries: hm@searchandconveysolutions.co.uk
For podcast/media info: gareth@mphats.com
Members In This Video
No users are tagged in this video
