Parliamentarian calls for developers to ‘fix their flats’.
A Milton Keynes MP has issued a call to housing developers to carry out urgent repairs to cladding on Oakgrove and central MK buildings.
Emily Darlington, MP for Milton Keynes Central, has sounded the alarm over unsafe cladding and called on developers to ‘fix their flats’ in accordance with the remediation that residents have been promised.
An online survey has been launched for families impacted by delayed building works to share their experiences.
Since the Grenfell Disaster of 2017, in which 72 people died when fire spread through a tower block, regulations around building claddings have been significantly tightened.
In Milton Keynes Central, only a small number of residential units have been affected. But the promised remediation works have been slow, and residents have been left waiting. Interim measures such as ‘24/7 fire watches’ only serve to highlight the delay in a permanent fix.
“Nobody should ever feel unsafe in their own home, yet I’ve had countless constituents write to me expressing their fear that they’re sleeping in an accident waiting to happen,” said Emily Darlington.
“The necessary remediation cannot continue to be delayed, and I’m calling on developers to meet their commitments as soon as possible. Between high insurance costs, high service charges, and the immense difficulties in even getting their flats on the market, let alone finding a buyer, my constituents feel trapped, and I’m sounding the alarm.”
Emily has met with residents from the Vizion building in Central Milton Keynes to hear their concerns, passing them on to both the developers and relevant ministers.
She has launched the online survey targeted at residents who feel their cladding is unsafe so that a full picture of local frustration can be shown to the developers involved, with the aim of further engagement with impacted households in the coming months.
“This Labour government has been laser-focused on one word when it comes to housing – security,” said the MP. “That might mean security when it comes to your rights as a renter, or security when it comes to management companies who continue to exploit their residents, and now, security when it comes to fire safety in flats across Milton Keynes. I look forward to meeting with more residents and hearing their views so we can finally fix the flats.”
The survey to share your views is here:
https://survey.labour.org.uk/fkffe8j0bf0epffvb0vccpkzy.
