黑洞社区

Manufacturers of cladding products refusing to pay up for fixing building safety defects are 鈥榮ticking to their guns鈥� despite threats of legal action by the government, the chief executive of the Construction Products Association (CPA) has said.

Peter Caplehorn said firms were not backing down following Michael Gove鈥檚 letter last month in which the housing secretary promised to 鈥渄o whatever it takes鈥� to make sure manufacturers of building materials are held to account for the cladding crisis.

Gove鈥檚 letter followed a breakdown of talks between the government and the CPA over 鈥渧oluntary鈥� financial contributions from the products sector towards the cost of remediating unsafe buildings.

Responding to Gove, Caplehorn said that the CPA wanted any funding settlement to include other sectors as 鈥減oor design, procurement and construction鈥� could lead to the performance of 鈥榮afe鈥� materials being 鈥渞adically鈥� changed.

Products firms are now bracing for further action from Gove, who has said he will use powers established in the new 黑洞社区 Safety Bill to ensure 鈥渟ignificant commercial and reputational consequences鈥� for those who have not 鈥渟tepped up鈥�.

But asked if firms were sticking to their guns, Caplehorn told 黑洞社区: 鈥淚 believe they are.鈥�

He added: 鈥淭he common view is that all manufacturers stand behind their products. The point that we have made many times is that the journey from a product manufacturer to a product being installed in a building is a complex one, which involves many other people and many other decisions.鈥�

Caplehorn admitted there was now a 鈥渞eal fear鈥� that the row could escalate, adding: 鈥淲e can see that those potential problems are lurking, and while that鈥檚 happening we鈥檙e not getting dwellings made safe and not taking bills away from people who鈥檝e currently got them. It鈥檚 all a real gordian knot I鈥檓 afraid.鈥�

One SME manufacturer of cladding panels told 黑洞社区 that responsibility for the cladding crisis was 鈥渘othing to do with us鈥� but that the government was 鈥渢arring everyone with the same brush鈥�.

Insulation giant Kingspan, whose combustible K15 insulation was the market leader for high rise projects in the years before the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, has said it will contribute to a funding settlement as long as it is 鈥渁pplied across the entire construction industry鈥�.

The firm, which last week posted a record 47% revenue increase in the first quarter, has also said that it will pay its share of remediation 鈥渨here [it has] responsibility鈥� for the inappropriate use of its products and their 鈥渟afe retention cannot be supported by testing鈥�.

Gove鈥檚 threats to products manufacturers follows a pledge by nearly 40 housebuilders to pay up to fix fire safety issues on blocks which they have had a role in developing.

This is on top of a 拢3bn levy for blocks where those responsible for the defects cannot be identified or compelled to rectify them.

But a report by the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities select committee last month on approaches to funding remediation works said that the 鈥渨hole industry must take collective responsibility鈥�.

The executive chair of the Home Builders Federation Stewart Basely has also argued that other parts of the construction industry aside from housebuilders should share the costs for fixing unsafe buildings.