Gove turns on suppliers as 35 developers sign safety pledge

Aaron Morby 3 years ago
Share

Levelling up minister Michael Gove has blasted cladding and insulation manufacturers over their failure to commit to paying for post-Grenfell safety measures on buildings.

Levelling-up minister Michael Gove says he will now use powers to penalise manufacturers
Levelling-up minister Michael Gove says he will now use powers to penalise manufacturers

He has now committed to use all his powers to impose “significant commercial and reputational consequences’ for those firms that have failed to step up.

Gove issued his warning in a strongly-worded letter to industry trade body, the Construction Products Association.

Talks with the trade body have collapsed after Gove slammed it for ‘coming up with excuses to do nothing slowly’.

His letter comes as the Department for Levelling-up revealed that 35 house builders had now signed the Government pledge to fund cladding and building fire safety upgrades as a matter of urgency. (see list below)

This means developers will spend around £2bn upgrading their own developments and pay an extra £3bn into Governemnt coffers through the new building safety levy on residential development.

Gove has now written to the CPA demanding to know why relevant manufacturers have failed to follow the house builders’ lead.

“In January, I asked property developers and construction product manufacturers to make a public funding commitment by early March, he writes.

“Unlike the approach taken by developers, manufacturers have failed to make any such commitment. This is simply not good enough.”

Recognising an earlier response from CPA chief executive Peter Capelhorn, he continues: “Your letter proposes several reasons why making such commitments would be challenging or require years of preparatory work.

“Leaseholders do not have the luxury of waiting years for every building to be assessed before funding is committed, and five years on from the Grenfell Tragedy, there is little in your letter to suggest that manufacturers are ready to show leadership and play their part in bringing this unacceptable situation to an end.”

“The scale of this injustice should have spurred manufacturers into doing more, at speed, and it is disappointing that the sector appears instead to be using it as an excuse to do nothing, slowly,” says Gove.

“It is unacceptable that there has been no clear acknowledgement that actions taken by cladding and insulation manufacturers have contributed to the problem, and that manufacturers have individually and collectively failed to come forward with a proposal for playing their part in addressing it.

“As such, I now consider our negotiations to have concluded. I have instructed my officials to do whatever it takes to make sure that construction product manufacturers are held to account through the powers that I am establishing in the Building Safety Bill.

“My new recovery unit will pursue firms that have failed to do the right thing, including through the courts.

“I will consider carefully how to use other powers at my disposal to make sure that there are significant commercial and reputational consequences for those firms that have not stepped up.”

Developers that have agreed to building safety pledge


  • Avant
  • Ballymore
  • Barratt
  • Bellway
  • Berkeley
  • Bewley
  • Bloor
  • Cala
  • Churchill Retirement
  • CG Fry
  • Countryside
  • Crest Nicholson*
  • Croudace
  • Davidsons
  • Fairview
  • Gleeson
  • Hill Group
  • Jelson
  • Keepmoat Homes
  • Tilia
  • Lioncourt Homes
  • London Square
  • Lovell
  • Mactaggart & Mickel
  • McCarthy & Stone
  • Miller Homes
  • Morris Homes
  • Persimmon
  • Redrow
  • Rowland Homes
  • Strata
  • St Modwen
  • Taylor Wimpey
  • Vistry Partnership
  • Wainhomes
  • William Davis

*Signalled intent

 

Latest news

Hinkley contractors face prosecution over rebar mesh fall

Bouygues and Laing O'Rourke face action brought by the Office for Nuclear Regulation
14 hours ago

Farrans to build new £59m Paisley bridge

Work to start soon on transport project for Renfrewshire Council
8 hours ago

Wates inks £100m deal on first new-design prison houseblocks

HMP Onley expansion leads roll-out of new standardised design
20 hours ago

£122m deal to unlock Newcastle’s last brownfield site

Land remediation funding paves way for 2,500-home Forth Yards neighbourhood
21 hours ago

McLaren lands Heathrow logistics deal

1.6 hectare airport site to be transformed into modern warehouses
22 hours ago

McAlpine veteran to lead T&T’s project management drive

Former Olympic Stadium lead Mike O’Donnell takes lead role with focus on major capital project delivery
22 hours ago

IES snaps up Nexus Power out of administration

Utilities group strengthens expertise in 400kV jointing and offshore markets
22 hours ago

Thames Water tenders £120m water main rehab deal

Company seeks 2–5 contractors for London and South East renewal works
22 hours ago

Lower Thames Crossing to lead green planning reforms

New system to avoid another £100m HS2 bat tunnel
22 hours ago

Mace lands latest 30-storey City of London tower

85 Gracechurch Street near Leadenhall Market to be transformed
2 days ago

Vinci gets go-ahead for £250m Stockport 8 scheme

Contractor to start first phase of 435 net zero homes next year
2 days ago

£80m bid race to convert Oxford Debenhams into labs

Crown Estate advance plan to convert former six storey department store
2 days ago

Bennett steps-in to finish Guinness Covent Garden brewery

Original fit-out contractor Beck Interiors fell into administration
2 days ago

Work-to-rule set to hit Sellafield clean-up

Action by 1,500 construction workers across 34 contractors
2 days ago

Aureos breaks ground on £45m Howden Relief Road

Yorkshire road will pave way for 2,000-home scheme
2 days ago

Oxford United win green light for £150m all-electric stadium

Planners back 16,000-seat Kidlington ground with hotel, plaza and community hub
5 days ago

Demolition record as eight cooling towers come down

Watch Brown & Mason set record at Cottam Power Station
5 days ago

Hitachi Energy named for EGL3 converter station deal

Firm to build major HVDC converter stations in Aberdeenshire and West Norfolk
5 days ago

PAS NW secures landmark £20m civils deal in Lancashire

Groundworks firm wins infrastructure for 429-home Wain Homes scheme
5 days ago

Subcontractors wanted for jobs across the South West

Register now for latest Constructionline event in Bristol
5 days ago

Profits double at Octavius as road and rail work grows

Recent acquisitions add to turnover growth at infrastructure specialist
6 days ago

Quarterly construction output growth masks orders slide

New orders down by over 8% driven by fall in infrastructure and offices
6 days ago

Vinci UK swings back into profit after group restructure

£166m cash injected to strengthen building and facilities operations balance sheets
7 days ago

Staged procurement to make comeback as pricing risk bites

Developers turn to staged deals to control costs on big-ticket commercial jobs
6 days ago

McGee profit halves as project start delays hit

Revenue up 24% but profits fall on higher carry costs
6 days ago

Vistry to deliver 2,300 homes at Rugeley power station site

139-acre brownfield site has already been extensively remediated
6 days ago

Andrew Scott wins role on Swansea’s next big office build

Contractor appointed for detailed design of 800-desk city centre hub.
6 days ago

Knights Brown to start £29m Poole flood wall job

1.5km barrier to protect homes and unlock regeneration plans
6 days ago

Kier lands £16m first ECI job with Southern Water

Design deal covers nitrogen cut and UV upgrade at Hampshire wastewater sites
7 days ago

Watkin Jones seals deal on 200-bed student scheme

Bristol project will involve four brick buildings rising to seven storeys
7 days ago