Speaking in the Senedd today, during her statement to Julie James MS/AS, Janet Finch-Saunders emphasised the need for the Welsh Government to oversee huge improvements to building safety in Wales.
Referring to the words of a resident in Wales directly affected by fire safety issues, Janet said:
“I was recently contacted by someone outside of my constituency, who raised with me her concerns as a leaseholder owning an apartment bought from Redrow located in Cardiff. Residents there have recently witnessed service costs increase from £3,000 to nearly £7,800 annually with reports indicating that building insurance premiums exponentially increased by up to 1000%.
"In contrast, if we look at the work the UK Government is doing, a package of measures to protect leaseholders from the financial costs of cladding remediation has been introduced, and a strong hand used against developers. It is a shame that the Minister for Climate Change has only started to do the same here in Wales now.
“I’m pleased to see the leaseholders support scheme provide free advice from an independent financial adviser, however, it is so frustrating that we are only at this point over 5 years on since Grenfell, and whilst I welcome the progress being made with the Welsh Building Safety Fund, we need to see work take place now, on repairing and improving the many buildings across Wales where residents are living in fear.”
