Building Safety Programme

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the government established the Building Safety Programme to ensure that residents of high-rise buildings are safe - and feel safe - now, and in the future. This programme is aimed at ensuring the removal of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) from high rise buildings.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 has now received Royal Assent. The government is still working on the finer detail of the new regulations. We're awaiting the guidance notes to be published before the Act goes live, which we anticipate will be between July and December 2021. The Act fundamentally gives the London Fire Brigade more enforcement powers. In the interim, the council and the LFB jointly approach enforcement and building safety.

Immediate safety

As part of the Building Safety Programme, Southwark are working closely with the London Fire Brigade and building owners to make sure that all buildings in Southwark are safe and remain safe.

We're also contacting building owners to help them understand the steps they must take to ensure their buildings are safe and compliant with government regulations. This may include implementing immediate interim measures, as well as full remedial works.

Funding

Waking Watch Relief Fund

On 17 December 2020, the Secretary of State announced a new £30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund to pay for the installation of alarms to remove or reduce the reliance on Waking Watch in buildings over 17.7 metres with unsafe cladding systems.

Private sector ACM cladding remediation fund

On 9 May 2019, the Secretary of State announced that the government will fully fund the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding on private sector residential buildings 17.7 metres or over, with costs estimated at £200 million.

Grant funds for remediation of non-ACM buildings

On 11 March 2020, the Chancellor announced that the government will provide an additional £1 billion to fund the removal and replacement of unsafe non-ACM cladding systems installed on high-rise residential buildings in both the private and social housing sectors. A further £3.5 billion was announced on 10 February 2021, with regard to buildings over 17.7 metres.

For more information regarding funding, visit the Government’s Building Safety Programme page.

Support

We'll work with residents and property owners to ensure they get the support and advice they need to help them remove cladding and comply with all regulations.

If you have any questions regarding the Southwark Building Safety Programme, or would like advice on a specific building, email us.

Data collection

The government have asked us to carry out a survey of external walls on all residential buildings of 18 metres and higher. This focuses on social residential buildings, private residential buildings, student accommodation buildings, hotels and hospitals.

If you're an owner or appointed property manager and we've written to you to complete a survey, fill in the survey using the online link provided in our initial communication.

If you have any questions regarding the survey, or you're a property owner and believe you should fill in this survey and have not been contacted, email us

Supporting documentation

• Building height diagram ^{(PDF, 140kb)}
• EWS technical note ^{(PDF, 165kb)}

Page last updated: 30 July 2021