UK developers told they must foot bill for unsafe cladding

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The British government says property developers must bear the cost of removing dangerous cladding that has left scores of apartment buildings at risk of fire, and thousands of residents facing steep bills to make their homes safe. The risk posed by some kinds of aluminum composite cladding was exposed when a fire engulfed London high-rise Grenfell Tower in June 2017 and killed 72 people. Safety regulations now require cladding similar to Grenfell’s to be removed. But the work hasn’t been carried out on some buildings because of wrangling over who should pay. Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove said that developers must come up with a plan to pay the estimated 4 billion-pound ($5.4 billion) cost or face legal action.