The Building Safety Bill, introduced in
Parliament on 5 July 2021, reached its Second Reading (the first
opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles of the Bill) in
the House of Commons on 21 July and in a written statement to the
House, Housing Secretary
Robert Jenrick announced further Government
intervention to support leaseholders in blocks of
flats.
The announcement by Housing Secretary
Robert Jenrick follows outcry from leaseholders in
private residential blocks faced with difficulty in selling their
homes and new advice from fire safety experts commissioned by
Government earlier in the year to investigate risk in medium and
lower-rise buildings.
The Independent Expert Statement on issues of
proportionality in relation to building safety in medium and lower
rise blocks of flats, the impact on the housing market, and what
more government could do to ensure approaches that are
proportionate to the level of risk is available on the Government website.
The advice from the panel of fire safety
experts makes clear that there is no systemic risk of fire in
blocks of flats under 18 metres and EWS1 forms should no longer be
needed on buildings below 18 metres. The Housing Secretary says
this should free leaseholders from cost and delay and provide
confidence to the housing market.
The Housing Secretary's full statement is
available on the Government website.