Sixteen calamitous decisions by Cardiff Council  

Cladding safety scandal

March 2022

Concerns have been raised about Cardiff council’s response to the cladding scandal, which affects hundreds of residents across the city.    

After the Grenfell tower tragedy, in which 72 people died as the result of faulty cladding, it was found that many residents in Cardiff were also living in buildings where the insulation was not safe.  According to Wales Online, “four years after the Grenfell Tower fire exposed widespread fire safety issues in buildings across the UK, politicians still cannot agree on how to help.”

Cardiff Council have removed the insulation cladding from three of its own tower blocks.  However, it has not replaced the material with new safe components.  As a result, council tenants are living in apartments which are more expensive to heat.  As a cost-of-living crisis hits and fuel prices rise, the council’s neglect is putting hundreds of its own tenants at greater risk of deeper fuel poverty.  

At the same time, residents in some developments affected by the scandal are unhappy that Cardiff Council is giving planning permission to the builder responsible for commissioning the construction of their homes.  

As reported in the Western Mail, a representative of the residents at the Redrow-commissioned Celestia development in Cardiff Bay said:

“People cannot understand how more planning permissions are being granted to developers while our homes go unrepaired.  There is no sense of equality or natural justice in the way our plight is being dealt with by developers or elected authorities.”

Cardiff council’s on-going commitment to the safety of future buildings has also been questioned.  Cardiff Council does not have a dedicated buildings control officer who would be responsible for the safety of new buildings.  Instead this critically important role is shared as part of another post.  Cardiff Council’s attitude to the safety of future buildings is part of a pattern of behaviour at the council, where insufficient resource is placed on monitoring the activity of builders and whether they are complying with regulations.