Cladding inspection team ‘close to starting work’

A stalled team of experts including EH professionals due to help local authorities remove aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding may soon finally be able to start work.

The Joint Inspection Team (JIT) was announced as a project 12 months ago by housing secretary, James Brokenshire.

It took until January this year for recruitment to start. There were then further delays because it did not have the necessary indemnity from the Treasury.

However, on 25 June Brokenshire started the 14-day process of obtaining indemnity and informed the Commons and Lords.

This will mean that in a fortnight, assuming that MPs don’t block it (which is not expected), the JIT should be operational.

Brokenshire told the Commons: “The purpose of the JIT is to provide support to local authorities in making hazard assessments of high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding and then to provide advice to local authorities on enforcement action where the building owners are reluctant to remediate.”

He said the Local Government Association (LGA) had been unable to obtain professional indemnity insurance to cover the work of the JIT and the LGA requested the Government provide indemnity.

Brokenshire added: “The contingent liability will also be amended so that the indemnity provides cover against claims for death and personal injury for a period of 125 years and cover for all other types of claims for a period of six years after the JIT ceases to operate.”

The JIT team is made up of a building fire safety engineer, a principal EH officer and three EH officers.