How can you work with the Government and local authorities to make sure that the homes leaseholders and social housing tenants live in are safe and not put at risk by managing agents and freeholders’ behaviour four and a half years after Grenfell?

The building safety crisis is one of the most pressing challenges facing our city, and I am committed to doing what I can to protect Londoners. I am really grateful for the Assembly Member’s continued lobbying on this really important area.

The Building Safety Bill presents the best opportunity for systematic change. The Bill introduces new measures to improve safety, including increased scrutiny of new high‑rise developments; however, the Bill does need to be strengthened in some areas. While I welcome the recent announcement by [the Rt Hon] Michael Gove [MP], the Secretary of State [for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities], that the industry is expected to fund cladding remediation on buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres in height, this must be backed by firm and explicit protection for leaseholders through an amendment to the Bill. I am also deeply concerned that there is still no confirmed funding for buildings with non‑cladding‑related defects and those below 11 metres. We continue to lobby the Government on this.

Meanwhile, I am doing everything in my power to ensure the GLA’s partners are meeting the highest standards of building safety. I have introduced tough fire safety requirements within the Affordable Homes Programme 2021 to 2026 and the London Development Plan, and new measures in the London Plan. My Homes for Londoners Board created an External Wall System 1 (EWS1) task and finish group which will support landlords in improving residents’ experience, especially through the EWS1 process. The group’s best practice guidance, to be published shortly, aims to trigger behavioural change, particularly on resident communications.

I wrote to building owners and managers in both 2020 and 2021, encouraging them to implement the relevant Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations early, and I will continue to engage with them on this issue. I also wrote to building owners who have been slow to take action, despite receiving funding from Government remediation funds, which my Housing Team administers. I will continue working with the Government and partners to ensure funding decisions and remediation works are completed as soon as possible.

Thank you, Mayor Khan. I just wanted to say that I have found it instrumental listening to you and others at the Grenfell Inquiry evidence sessions in the last few months. Obviously, we have had a change in Secretary of State, who appears slightly more positive about homes in general, and Michael Gove [MP] has committed to provide clarity on what the Government will do by Easter, which is a couple of months away. I wonder what opportunities there are between now and Easter to work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Committees (DLUHC) Secretary of State to look at the convening powers that the Mayor might have, or be given, to make sure that you are able to work with leaseholders and registered providers who provide those homes for social housing tenants, and to continue to put pressure on managing agents and freeholders to compel them to pay for those costs, particularly the non‑cladding costs that you have talked about?

Your question is so important in illustrating that even though there are areas where we have no powers to act, we will both convene where we can and also lobby the Government. Those Members of the Assembly who are of the same party as the Government do not like it, but we should not be scared to call out the Government when action is required. Also, we should be brave enough to compliment Government when they get it right.

Michael Gove’s [MP] transformation of this area over the last few weeks is incredibly impressive. As we are meeting today, he is meeting developers to try and put pressure on them to do far more. We were saying this for the last four and a half years, criticised by that lot, and there has been change because of our lobbying. That is why we have to be confident in continuing to lobby and not allow Conservative voices in this Assembly to silence us when we do so.

The good news is that some of what Tom Copley [Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development] did in relation to a method or device to get this remediation paid for has been taken up by the Government. Getting developers to contribute towards a position they helped create, in relation to a levy, was an idea from Tom and the team in City Hall, and I am really pleased the Government is running with this. Leaseholders should not be out of pocket because of things that are not their fault.

With the new convening powers, I have said in my answer some of the stuff I have done. I have written to building owners, working with the Government to put pressure on them. Some have received funds but are not taking action. We are trying to find out who the owners are. Some are offshore. The Government has the expertise to try to find out who they are. I think, working with Michael Gove [MP] and his team, we can make more progress. I have highlighted some of the areas where there still needs to be progress. This Easter there should be sufficient progress when it comes to the fifth anniversary of Grenfell Tower. We are talking about families still living in dangerous buildings.

Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. I just really quickly wanted to ask you: within that there is a, if you like, a loophole ‑ which again the Secretary of State has committed to looking at but has not made a commitment around closing ‑ and that is the loophole around leaseholders being passed on the cost of the works that need to be done to their buildings and their homes. I wonder if, within that, you would be able to commit to working to ensure that that is closed. I know that is something that you committed to in the Manifesto, and I think that Londoners would really welcome that, especially those people who are in homes in which it is entirely legal for those freeholders to do what they are doing, which is bankrupting people.

Yes. By the way, I am not sure if you have, but I have met families whose dream of being a homeowner has turned into a nightmare because they are leaseholders, and their homes are not safe. We will continue to lobby the Government, but we should also recognise the progress that has been made. Michael Gove [MP] deserves huge credit and we hope we can just push him further, because no families should have their dream of owning a home being turned into a nightmare.