Helping people achieve the dream of home ownership is at the heart of Conservatism, and yet the party has seen it fitting to abandon the millions now trapped in a cladding nightmare.
The scandal has spread across the country and the extent of fire safety problems go far beyond what materials are used in external walls. There are issues with containment, fire breaks, and other types of insulation all coming to light. The problems you think will never affect you could actually be in your block, and your home. You just don’t know it yet. But if they are uncovered you too could find yourself in a home that is effectively worthless.
In many ways the families we profile in this week’s paper are the lucky ones. In all cases they have not yet had to pay for fire safety work and are yet to see a massive bill land on their doorstep. But the financial security they thought was buying a home was a temporary illusion.
As confusing and complex as the legal issues are, there is one very simple truth: there is no moral justification for forcing homeowners to shoulder the burden of these costs.
READ MORE: Families trapped by cladding scandal say their Peckham homes ‘feel like a prison’