Removal of dangerous cladding moving at ‘glacial pace', warn Lib Dems
Another 12 single building assessments (SBAs), which assess any risk to life as a result of cladding, are currently under way.
Only two buildings in the country currently have active remediation work being undertaken.
It comes despite the Government scheme having already received 600 expressions of interest from those responsible for potentially impacted buildings.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats said there is 'no excuse' for slow progress after the Grenfell tragedy eight years ago.
The party pointed to figures from England that show 48% of buildings identified with unsafe cladding have started or completed remediation work.
Willie Rennie, the party's communities spokesman at Holyrood, said: 'In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, there can be no excuses for making such glacial progress, but this SNP Government continue to blunder their way through in slow motion.
'This is an issue where Scotland simply cannot afford to fall behind; by moving so sluggishly with the necessary building works, the SNP Government are only increasing the risks to people's lives.
'That's why I am imploring ministers to urgently step-up the pace in fixing at-risk buildings and keep homeowners, residents and local authorities informed on developments.'
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'A ministerial working group on fire safety was established immediately following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and continues to co-ordinate cross-government activity to improve fire and building safety.
'The Scottish Government has introduced legislation mandating the use of fire-suppression systems in new-build multi-occupancy properties over 18 metres; introduced regulations prohibiting the use of combustible cladding materials on high-medium risk buildings; and introduced regulations requiring the installation of interlinked smoke alarms in all properties.
'We committed to addressing unsafe cladding and the wider system failures that allowed these risks to go unchallenged. That commitment is now underpinned by law through the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024, which took effect in January 2025.
'We are moving at pace to support the identification, assessment, mitigation and remediation of buildings affected by unsafe cladding. Where risks are identified and require immediate intervention, we will take appropriate action because protecting lives is our top priority and cannot wait.
'Since the Cladding Remediation Act came into effect in January, we have launched the single open call, backed by £10 million of [[Scottish Government]] funding, to enable residential property owners to apply for a Government-funded single building assessment.
'We will shortly be announcing the second stage of the single open call, which will allow homeowners to apply for funding for measures recommended by an assessment.
'We will continue to provide updates on progress.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
21 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
At long last, John Swinney has seen what grown-up politics is about
Mr Swinney and his fellow SNP ministers routinely like to churn out anti-Trump rhetoric seemingly because they think that'll garner them a few votes. But the reality of grown-up politics in which Mr Swinney has been obliged to indulge for just a few hours is that dialogue, pragmatism and diplomacy are key weapons in the armoury of a successful politician, not the kind of puerile sidelines sniping that's characteristic of the [[SNP]]. [[Donald Trump]] isn't my cup of tea either, but let's not forget that he leads the world's largest economy. I'm certain Keir Starmer has multiple reservations about Mr Trump, yet he, unlike Mr Swinney, heads up a sovereign state and has both a domestic and international remit – he can't wallow in Swinney-style futile populist virtue-signalling. Martin Redfern, Melrose. Knocking Labour off course Labour is on the way to running out of road for its long-term ambitions. All the MPs were elected on the same ticket with a destination in view and a driver to steer them in the right direction. They all want to reach the same destination but many of them differ with the driver on how fast they should proceed and what is the best route to reach their goal. It all boils down to how much they trust the driver and whether they can accept his gradualist approach. In today's world it would appear that everyone knows better than the people in charge and would like to impose their opinions on the ones whose skill got them on to the bus of government. In every walk of life you have to tailor your ambitions to fit in with the means at your disposal to hit those heights. Furthermore no one wishes to be compared to reckless teenagers who scream from the back of the bus for the driver to go faster, to take chances or to take a more direct route. Paying attention to excited MPs could lead to totalling the whole project the Government is trying to put in place. Do those MPs really want to jeopardise their chances of a second term in government with their short-sighted perspectives by showing that they cannot see the woods for the trees? Failure to take the global picture into consideration will run their bus off the road with regard to the Government's ambitions to improve the running of the UK for every level of the electorate. There is an old Roman tale about how the different organs and functions of the human body need to work together in harmony to achieve its desired results. It would be well worth the time of Labour MPs to reflect upon that. Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs. Read more letters Why not protest something important? So activists have been dangling themselves off the Forth Road Bridge over another issue which is of marginal, if any, concern to the rest of us ("Police arrest 10 Greenpeace activists after bridge protest", July 27). When have we seen such activists glueing themselves to the highway, roosting on motorway gantries, or dangling from bridges and buildings over anything that matters to the Many? Over out of control immigration? The housing shortage? The cost of living crisis? Lack of opportunities for our young people? The epidemic of stabbings and other lawlessness? The answer, of course, is that the narcissistic Few are completely indifferent to the plight of ordinary people. Whether they perform as Just Stop Oil, Climate Rebellion, Stand Up To Racism, or under whatever name, the extreme demands and their callous disregard for the interests of the Many are always the same. Otto Inglis, Crossgates, Fife. Such a sad life story Richard Holloway's life story ("The Bishop who abandoned God", July 27) is one of the saddest I have read. He is caught up in an orthodox version of the Christian world, and seemingly missing the most basic and fundamental uniqueness of this faith; put off by tradition and hypocrisy that he encountered in the various stages of his religious career. It strikes me that his experience of religious life is strikingly similar to the religious pomposity of the Pharisees of the 1st century, when Jesus was alive. Their religion was one of rules and regulations, burdensome traditions and rituals that were impossible to follow. They made life so difficult for the layperson, and were 100% convinced they were right. Their superiority and controlling natures led them eventually to crucify Jesus Christ, whom they hated with a vengeance, because he did not fit in with their version of religion. Richard Holloway appears to be very knowledgeable about various religions, yet he clearly has missed the whole theme of the Bible, that God, the Creator, loves his creatures with an unending love, yet seeks truth and justice from his people. A God whose love is so immense that, to deal with the root problem of the human race, "sin", he allowed his one and only Son, Jesus, to die on that cross... taking all the pain and sorrow and evil of the world upon himself. This is, I admit, a profound mystery; yet it is the foundational truth that resonates throughout the whole Bible. This same God does not ask us to "obey rules" or to "follow religious traditions"... He asks us to trust him, and to commit our lives to him... he longs for a relationship with us humans; longs that we speak with him, listen to him, and experience the love, the joy, and the peace that comes with him. Trying, as so many do, like Richard Holloway, to follow Christ's teaching without following Christ, is actually impossible, for his teaching demands impossible standards that only he can help us meet, in the strength he provides. I could go on and on, for Richard Holloway's story is so incredibly sad. He says "religion left me"; but Jesus Christ says, "I came to seek out and to rescue those who are lost in this world" – and that is all of us. He has not yet given up on Richard Holloway, and my earnest prayer is that he will truly find the Lord, who died for him, and who was raised from the dead. Now, that truth makes Jesus unique, and worth following. May God bless Richard Holloway, and all who are yearning for truth, and true fulfilment; these are found in God himself. Alasdair HB Fyfe, Carmunnock. Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh (Image: Newsquest) Reasons behind Russia's actions Ronald Cameron (Letters, July 27) says that "Ukraine has come close to destroying the Russian war machine". Mr Cameron has got it the wrong way round. Russia has come close to destroying Ukraine' s army. Ukraine is in the position Germany was in in 1944, fighting losing battles, the war effectively lost, but continuing to lash out with deadly but strategically pointless missile strikes. The writing is on the wall for President Zelenskyy and his gang. Mr Cameron repeats the false claim that Russia is going to invade Nato's eastern border, but the fact is that Russian fears invasion from the West more than we fear them. In 1812 Napoleon burned Moscow. In 1854 Britain and France invaded Crimea. In 1918 Germany invaded Russia and Russia lost one million square miles of territory at the subsequent Treaty of Brest Litovsk. Britain, Canada and the United States invaded Russia between 1918 and 1925. In 1941 German forces were at the gates of Moscow and on their retreat destroyed virtually everything. President Eisenhower, then Supreme Commander Allied Forces in Europe, wrote: "When we flew into Russia, in 1945, I did not see a house standing between the western borders of the country and the area around Moscow." Declassified official documents record that in February 1997 the then Prime Minister John Major said: "If I were Russian I too would be concerned that Nato might move up to Russia's borders." Since then Nato has expanded to 32 countries. Russia warned repeatedly from 2008 that Ukraine's admission to Nato was a red line. The coup of 2014 which brought a nationalist government hostile to Russia to power resulted in a civil war between the eastern Russian-speaking provinces and the Kiev regime, which bombed and shelled them for eight years. Russia invaded in their support and to prevent Nato forces on a border which geographically is difficult to defend. Flying the Ukraine flag is risible. William Loneskie, Lauder. • Ronald Cameron contradicts himself. First he writes that "we" (presumably the UK) must do "everything possible" to support Ukraine, but then "there are plenty of better things to spend the money on". Come on, money can't be spent twice, so which is it to be ? George Morton, Rosyth. Off pat Rab McNeil's excellent article on Dougie MacLean ('Singer made every ex-pat yearn for home … and a pint', July 27) was interesting but its headline ignored the fact that an ex-soldier is someone who used to be a soldier, an ex-teacher is someone who used to be teacher and an ex-pat is someone who used to be a pat. If text space is so scarce that an abbreviation for expatriate is needed, it is expat, no hyphen being involved. Peter Dryburgh, Edinburgh.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
SNP under fire over public energy firm as Wales launches wind projects
The Labour-run administration in Cardiff set up Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru (which translates to Green Electricity Wales) in 2024, and in July announced plans for three wind farms on publicly owned Welsh woodlands – as well as more renewable energy projects yet to be finalised. Trydan said the initial three wind farms would be able to generate up to 400 MW of clean electricity – enough to power around one in four Welsh homes – with 'all profits generated reinvested in Welsh communities and public services'. In 2017, then-Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged to establish a 'publicly owned, not-for-profit energy company', but the policy was dropped after the 2021 Holyrood elections. Robin McAlpine, from the Common Weal think tank, said that they had partnered with Plaid Cymru during their time in the Welsh government to lay the groundwork for Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru. 'The whole point of that conversation was to explain how to create a public energy company under a devolved settlement – and the fact that this is happening in Wales shows that it certainly could have happened in Scotland too,' he said. READ MORE: UK energy bills to rise as Ofgem approves £24bn investment 'Common Weal has made this point over and over again – the letter of the devolution settlement says the Scottish Government can't own a wind farm, but we've set out about six different workarounds. 'The fastest is to create an energy company which is co-ordinated and funded by the Scottish Government, but in which the actual wind farms are owned by local authorities. 'We have told the Scottish Government this again and again. It is a very active choice to maintain an almost wholly privatised energy system in Scotland.' Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP also called for more to be done to ensure communities in Scotland see the benefits of energy generation projects. Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie (Image: PA) 'Scotland has seen extraordinary growth in renewables, but this hasn't come with the growth of local, community and public ownership that some countries have achieved,' he told the Sunday National. 'We have an abundance of natural resources at our disposal that can generate clean, green, renewable energy, and we also have highly skilled people with years of experience working in the energy sector. The Greens want these resources to benefit everyone, not just giant private investors. 'It is great to see Wales taking steps in this direction. As Greens, we've long made the case for every local community to have its own energy company, as well as a role for the national level. 'The Scottish Government can do far more to ensure that the ownership models for renewable energy put money back into communities across Scotland, at the same time as cutting emissions. Local ownership, community ownership and public ownership should all be playing a much bigger role.' READ MORE: Scottish Government approves one of world's biggest wind farms amid controversy However, a Scottish Government spokesperson insisted that they did not have the powers required. 'A national public energy company that is involved in large-scale energy generation would only be possible in an independent Scotland where we had full powers over the energy market and full access to borrowing,' they said. 'We are committed to maximising the public benefits of our renewables revolution, and while many powers remain reserved, we will use the powers we do have and continue to grow community investment in energy-related projects and technology.' In January, Scottish Energy Secretary Gillian Martin told MSPs that setting up a publicly owned energy firm was "not something we are able to do at the moment with the current devolution settlement". Rebecca Evans is the Economy Secretary in the Welsh Labour Government (Image: Welsh Government) Announcing the Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru plans for 400MW of wind farm capacity, Welsh Labour's Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans said: 'These proposals demonstrate our commitment to harnessing Wales's abundant natural resources to generate clean energy while ensuring the benefits are felt locally. 'By developing these projects on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate, we're making best use of our public land to tackle the climate emergency and create sustainable economic opportunities." A press release said that the developments will 'create hundreds of jobs during construction and operation, with Trydan committed to involving Welsh companies throughout the process'.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Is age verification being used right in Online Safety Act?
Chelsea Jarvie, who is finishing up a PhD in online age verification, said the technology brought in to support the implementation of the Online Safety Act needs to be 'urgently' looked at as she accused ministers of failing to 'read the room'. She added that the legislation in isolation will not be enough to protect children online, and the Government had "work to do" to balance children's safety with public trust in the technology available. The legislation has sparked a huge backlash since it came into force on July 25. It mandates that websites verify users' age – often using facial recognition or photo ID – before granting access to adult content such as pornography, violence, or material on self-harm and eating disorders. READ MORE: Revealed: The full text of SNP's independence strategy But while the sentiment may seem well-intentioned, major websites such as Reddit, Instagram and Wikipedia have been caught up in the storm, with the latter launching a court case against the UK Government as it argues the legislation will hurt collaborators. Nearly 470,000 people have signed a petition calling for the act to be repealed. Jarvie, who has been doing her research at the University of Strathclyde, said the UK is attempting to take ID-checking methods from the physical world and expecting them to work in the digital one, when trust in both the Government and cybersecurity is at an all-time low. 'The public don't want to be giving up their ID because they're concerned about security, privacy, surveillance, and there is a general lack of trust in the Government,' she told the Sunday National. 'So I think the Government has come at this from the perspective of 'we all want to keep children safe and so people will give up their ID in order to meet that goal', and they've just not read the room at all on what adults actually want from their own internet experiences. 'I think people do want online safety for children, but do they have to give up their ID or their face or their privacy for that? No, I don't think that they should. (Image: Supplied) 'We're essentially trying to take the methods that we use in the physical world to do ID, where we look at someone's face or we check their documents, and we're trying to replicate it in the digital world, and that, for me, is not the right approach. 'We need to be more innovative and thinking out of the box of how the internet works – the fact it's dynamic, we're served algorithmic content and have a much slicker and more effective way of telling whether someone is an adult or a child and guiding them through their internet journey that way.' While she said facial age verification has its place, there should be more options for people to anonymously confirm their age. "We should have more options people can choose if they want an anonymous method," she went on. "I don't think the technology options are available to meet everyone's needs and wants right now." The legislation has come into force in the wake of major brands such as M&S and Harrods being victims of cyberattacks, putting the public on edge about giving sensitive information away online. Not only are there privacy concerns, but the public have also been angered at being blocked from accessing legal content and many have turned to downloading virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow users to appear to be browsing from countries with looser rules. While Jarvie believes the UK Government's goal of trying to ensure children do not stumble across harmful content will largely have been achieved, the legislation alone will not make the internet safer for children. Asked if she felt age verification was being used in the right way, she said: 'I think the Government has brought something in and put a stake in the ground to say 'this is what we're going to do with online age verification to make the internet a safer place', but the legislation itself is not going to make the internet a safer place for children. 'There's so much more needed. READ MORE: Erin Brockovich joins forces with Scottish university to launch course 'It's one of the things I'm writing about in my thesis, is that on the internet we need layers of care around a minor. Age verification has come in as one control but you have so many other things you'd need to put in place to really make the internet a safer place, and that includes education for everybody. 'Have they [the UK Government] done the right thing? I think prioritising online safety from a legislative perspective, yes, but in practice, the technology that is there, the sentiment of the public, the collaboration between Government and public, I think is not right.' Jarvie added she felt engagement between the public and Government on the legislation had been 'seriously lacking'. 'I think the technology to support the regulation needs to evolve and we need to look at what people are saying, how they're now using VPNs, and looking at what it is they want and need and how we meet those requirements,' she went on. 'I also think there's a huge amount of trust and engagement needed between the public and the Government on this, you cannot just force it out on the basis everyone is going to do it because they care about online safety for kids because that's clearly not enough.' A UK Government spokesperson said: 'This self-proclaimed expert is wrong. The Online Safety Act protects children without sacrificing people's privacy. 'Under the law, platforms are required to verify users' ages using secure, privacy-preserving methods that avoid collecting or storing personal data. 'The Information Commissioner's Office has significant enforcement powers to hold platforms accountable, including the ability to impose severe fines on services that misuse personal information. All online services – regardless of where they are based – must adhere to UK data protection laws.'
