New research conducted by YouGov and commissioned by BECG’s new Building Safety Unit, has found that 75% of people believe the government could either have done more (17 percent) or has not done enough (58%) to ensure the removal of flammable cladding from residential buildings since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.
Almost two thirds (64 percent) of people, including 56 percent of Conservative voters, back further Government support for funding to carry out works on any residential building, privately or publicly owned, to bring them in line with current fire safety regulations. This includes the removal of unsafe cladding on buildings under 18 meters, with 63 percent of people believing that the height-based allocation of funding thus far has been unfair.
The research also reveals that 62 percent of Londoners think that the cladding scandal has affected public confidence in new build housing, compared to just 40 percent of people in the North of England and 37 percent in the Midlands and Wales.
Jennifer Riddell Carpenter, Director of the Building Safety Unit at BECG, commented:
“These results demonstrate the scale of the challenge for Government as it addresses the systemic failings in the building control system over multiple decades. The Government’s latest package of support, announced on 10th February, extended the funding to remove cladding from buildings over 18 metres to £5bln, but did not cover buildings beneath this height.
“This polling, conducted after the extension of funding was announced, demonstrates that the public remain concerned about the fairness of a scheme that does not cover lower rise buildings whilst supporting further Government funding being made available.”
The research has been led by BECG’s new Building Safety Unit, which brings together an award-winning multi-disciplined team, dedicated to providing strategic counsel to clients affected by the fire and building safety agenda across the UK.
The Building Safety Unit will provide strategic counsel and leadership to integrated support across crisis communications, specialist resident and community engagement, media relations, communications and government relations.
Talking of new Building Safety Unit, BECG CEO Stephen Pomeroy said:
“Building safety is one of the most prominent issues facing our clients and the sector. Our dedicated team are expertly placed to help organisations navigate this difficult landscape, providing expert counsel and award-winning communications support.”
