Does Gove’s £4bn cladding levy mark the start of an anti-development era?

By Joey Gardiner2022-01-11T12:15:00

Unable to get more Treasury funding, the secretary of state has found a convenient punch bag and housebuilders could be left reeling for years

Yesterday’s announcement by housing secretary Michael Gove of a new deal for leaseholders affected by fire-risk high-rises certainly got a much warmer political reception than the equivalent statement by his predecessor Robert Jenrick just under a year ago.

Rightly so: Jenrick’s idea of asking leaseholders stuck in homes of 11-18m with faulty cladding to take out loans to fund their repair was morally repugnant and Gove’s decision to scrap it was unavoidable.

But rather than get government to fund the repairs, or force a broad contribution from across the construction industry, Gove instead proposed taking the necessary £4bn from housebuilders alone.

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