Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, attended his first meeting of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee this week, where he confirmed that the development of the leaseholder loan scheme to fund remediation work on buildings outside the scope of the Building Safety Fund has been ‘paused’. The Government is now considering alternative ways to fund cladding remediation work that do not pose an ‘excessive burden’ on leaseholders, although the scheme will not be cancelled outright until an alternative has been identified.
Gove also confirmed that, following the Written Ministerial Statement which clarified that EWS1 forms should not be required on buildings below 18 metres, the Government will remove the consolidated advice note before Christmas.