Cladding Remediation Programme: progress bulletins

December 2024 

Key updates 

• the draft Scottish Budget for 2025 to 2026 has proposed £52.2 million to support cladding remediation during the next financial year. 

• commencement of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 will be on Monday 6 January 2025. This will bring its powers into force. You can read more about what commencement means in our factsheet. 

• the Single Building Assessment (SBA) Standards will also be published on 6 January. The core of which is the previously published SBA Specification. These Standards will set out how an SBA should be conducted, as well as requirements on retaining information. 

Minister for Housing’s Committee appearance 

The Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan MSP, appeared before the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on 10 December to give an update on the Cladding Remediation Programme.  

The full report of this meeting is available on the Scottish Parliament website. Highlights from the Minister’s update include: 

• we have commissioned SBAs for an initial set of 13 pilot entries where no developer has been identified to lead on assessments. We expect the findings from these SBAs to be available to us early in the new year

• an assurance process is continuing for the other pilot entries. This is to confirm whether they fall within the scope of the Act, and if a developer or other body will take forward assessment and, if required, remediation

• we are working with large developers to secure agreement on a new remediation contract. These developers have already accepted the responsibility for the buildings that they developed. We hope that, once agreed, this contract will unlock a further programme of assessment and remediation in 2025. 

• we will be establishing two new schemes in 2025. The first will be an open call to identify further buildings that are potentially affected by unsafe cladding. These are buildings for which no owner or developer has been able or willing to take forward assessment and remediation. Homeowners and residents will be able to bring this to our attention and be considered for government-led assistance.

• the second scheme will identify and address buildings that appear to be at elevated risk from unsafe cladding. We will work with local authorities and fire services to identify the buildings that should be prioritised. We will consider where responsibility lies for assessment and remediation, and whether government assistance is required

• further work is planned for 2025 to identify and prioritise social housing at risk from unsafe cladding. We will be engaging with local authorities, registered social landlords and other local partners on this matter

We will be providing more information about the Cladding Remediation Programme’s priorities for 2025 in a statement that will be published on 6 January.