Darren Paffey is pushing for urgent action on unsafe cladding affecting residents in Southampton Itchen, highlighting the ongoing struggles they face.
Southampton: Darren Paffey, the MP for Southampton Itchen, recently raised a big issue in Parliament. He talked about 46 residential blocks in the city still dealing with unsafe cladding. This situation has left many residents stuck in flats they can’t sell.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Paffey directly asked Sir Keir Starmer about this problem. Reports show that Southampton Itchen has the highest number of high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding in Hampshire. That’s a serious concern!
Paffey expressed the frustration of his constituents, saying they’ve endured years of stress due to unsafe fire protection in their homes. He pointed out that developers are taking their time, while leaseholders are left to pay for mistakes they didn’t make.
He asked the Prime Minister if he agrees that it’s time for developers to step up and make homes safe. He also wanted reassurance for leaseholders who bought their homes in good faith.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that too many buildings are still unsafe and admitted that the pace of fixing them has been too slow. Starmer responded by saying their action plan aims to identify and fix at-risk buildings more quickly, emphasizing that funding is available to get the job done.
Paffey has been vocal about the slow progress, mentioning that many residents still don’t feel secure in their homes. He noted that while some remediation has occurred, it’s not happening quickly enough, and leaseholders are bearing the brunt of the delays.
Back in December, the government set new targets to address unsafe buildings in England through a Remediation Acceleration Plan. This plan aims to hold negligent freeholders accountable and provide a timeline for making buildings safe.
