The Scottish administration has faced criticism for advancing at an exceedingly sluggish pace in addressing the removal of hazardous cladding from structures.

It followed ministers unveiling strategies to hasten the process of examining and fixing structures in reaction to the situation. 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster .

The Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, stated that individuals worried about hazardous cladding could apply for a £10 million grant to get their structures evaluated.

However, opposition MSPs condemned the government for not specifying a date by which the project would be finished.

After it was revealed that the construction of new homes in Scotland dropped below 20,000 units last year, with a decrease of nearly one-quarter in completions within the social sector, McLennan spoke up to defend the government’s track record regarding housing development.

Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower in London, where 72 people lost their lives, a program for cladding remediation was established.

Nevertheless, ministers have faced criticism due to the sluggish pace of advancement.

By November 2024, the program included a total of 107 listings, encompassing both single structures and groups of properties within a single project.

In September, the government stated that none of the constructions were finished, although only five had commenced work so far.

According to UK government data for England, as of September last year, remedial efforts addressing defective cladding were initiated or finished on approximately half of the roughly 5,000 buildings flagged as problematic. Furthermore, close to one-third (29%) of these structures had their issues fully resolved through completed repairs.

'Plan of action'

In a parliamentary address, McLennan unveiled a "refreshed strategy" for addressing cladding remediation simultaneously with the release of the government’s reply to the second phase of the inquiry. Grenfell Inquiry .

He mentioned that the £10 million fund would be accessible to properties held by local councils, registered social landlords, and private individuals alike.

"The objective of this investment is to minimize risks and cover the widest array of properties as swiftly as possible," stated the minister.

MSPs unanimously passed the Housing Cladding Remediation Bill In May of last year, with an aim to expedite the procedure.

This granted ministers the authority to evaluate and implement corrective actions for structures featuring unsafe cladding—ensuring all such efforts were documented in a dedicated registry.

However, according to reports from last year, only £9 million out of the £97 million obtained from Westminster through Barnett formula funding for addressing this matter had been utilized.

McLennan did not offer an update regarding the progress made on the 107 designated properties or the amount of UK government funds that have been utilized.

Meghan Gallacher, the Scottish Conservative spokesman on housing, stated that advancements have been "agonizingly sluggish" in the eight years following the Grenfell tragedy.

She stated that Scotland lagged far behind the UK government in eliminating unsafe cladding below the border, calling the announcement a "slap in the face" for worried residents.

Following the announcement, the MSP commented: "Even though we've been allocated almost £100 million by the UK government to address this issue, construction activities have started at just five out of 107 impacted sites, and Paul McLennan apparently has no idea about the completion timeline for these works."

Mark Griffin, the Labour housing spokesman, stated: "It's quite striking that we have seen more ministerial statements about cladding issues than actual building renovations completed."

Following criticism of recent housing construction statistics, the government made the Grenfell announcement.

Although SNP ministers declared a housing emergency In 2024, new statistics reveal that the number of houses constructed during that year dropped by 7%, totaling 19,797 units.

The number of properties started dropped further, falling 9% from the 2023 total to 15,050.

Privately owned developers finished building 15,066 residences and commenced construction on 11,617 units — a decrease of 12%.

This indicates that 2024 saw the fewest new homes initiated by private developers compared to any year since 2013, except for 2020, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing agencies like local councils and housing associations constructed 4,731 residences in 2024 and commenced development on 3,433 units.

Although the number of initiated projects increased by 2% compared to 2023, the completion rate dropped by 22%, marking the lowest point since 2017.

The Scottish government aims to provide 110,000 homes for affordable rental or sale by the year 2032.

The figures indicated that as of the close of December, 26,039 residences were finalized. This implies that approximately 84,000 more houses must be constructed by 2032 for the government to meet its objective.

The Tories stated that the ministers were "neglecting their duties," whereas Labour criticized them for "careless ineptitude."

McLennan stated that the administration boasted a "solid history" in constructing cost-effective residences.

He stated that between 2007—the year the SNP assumed control—and 2024, over 136,000 affordable houses were built, with approximately 97,000 of those available at social rental rates.

The minister also mentioned that by March of the previous year, there were 47% more affordable houses per capita compared to England and 73% more when measured against Wales.

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