Cladding Remediation Programme: Next Phase Plan of Action

1. Progress since March 2025

Since March, the Scottish Government has made significant and measurable progress in launching and scaling up its national Cladding Remediation Programme.

At the centre of this work is the Single Open Call (SOC), a government-backed scheme launched in March 2025 that allows local authorities, Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), residents or their representatives to apply for fully funded Single Building Assessments (SBAs). These assessments are critical in determining whether external wall systems or related construction features present a life-safety risk. As of 30 June, 600 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) have been received through the SOC and as of 24 July, 258 initial grant funding offers had been issued by the Scottish Government, reflecting significant demand, particularly from local authorities and RSLs. Not all EOIs received will be deemed in scope, with all submissions subject to review to confirm whether they fall within the scope of the Programme.

An initial £10 million was allocated for SBAs in 2025/26. Due to the scale of demand and the importance of thorough assessment, this funding will now be doubled to £20 million, ensuring all eligible EOIs received by 31 December 2025 can proceed.

Key additional milestones since March include:

• All priority Single Building Assessments via the Scottish Government-led assessment process are on track to be completed and returned by end of August 2025. SBAs continue to be received and will be reported as part of the next statistical update. Priority buildings were identified for direct assessment by the programme because their owners were unable to take action and based on evidence gathered during the earlier pilot programme. On the basis of SBA findings, each of these buildings is now moving onto a defined remediation pathway.

Our latest quarterly release of data and information on the programme^[1] was published on 29 July 2025. It reported that:

• As at 30 June 2025, the Scottish Government’s Cladding Remediation Programme had been informed that three Single Building Assessments (SBAs), based on the specification published in June 2024, had been completed. One of these is known to require an Additional Work Assessment. Additional Work Assessments are required as a result of additional information coming to light in the period between the SBA report being completed, and the date on which the Scottish Ministers were satisfied that works had been completed.
• A further 12 SBAs were underway but had not been completed.
• Of the 15 SBAs that were in progress or completed on 30 June 2025, 14 were funded by the Scottish Government and one by a developer.

Expansion of a comprehensive information-gathering exercise to verify the status of buildings over 18 metres in height, with a second phase now underway to capture buildings 11–18 metres by end of August 2025.^[2]

Following the launch of the Plan of Action in March 2025, an updated information-gathering exercise has been largely completed with Scottish local authorities regarding residential buildings over 18 metres using data published by the High Rise Inventory (HRI)^[3] and the high pressure laminate cladding data collection^[4].

The HRI, the high pressure laminate cladding data collection and additional information provided by local authorities identifies 512 buildings as having some form of external wall cladding. To get a complete picture, information has been gathered on all these buildings. Of these, many have already had some form of assessment or had safety work completed.

Of the 512, 214 are at least partly owned by local authorities. Based on the latest information returned from local authorities, they have taken forward a form of assessment for 91 high-rise buildings over 18 metres in public ownership; 54 of these have remediation works under way or planned, and four buildings have had works completed. This represents a substantial proportion of the high-rise buildings in local authority ownership, as identified through the High Rise Inventory and other sources, and indicates that a proportionate and risk-based approach is being taken to identify relevant buildings and assess risk. Not all high-rise buildings will require assessment, and 51 buildings are reported as demolished or are scheduled for demolition.

We will continue to seek validation of this information. For high-rise buildings over 18 metres in public ownership which have been assessed but not using the SBA process, we are working with the relevant local authorities to ensure these buildings are reassessed using the SBA, the new statutory standard for assessment. Funding for these reassessments will be available through the SOC.

While this provides confidence that risks in local authority buildings over 18 metres are being addressed, further assurance is required, as authorities rely on their own assessments. Also, we are currently gathering similar information from local authorities regarding 11–18 metre buildings. We will report further on this process as it continues and provide outputs once it is complete.

Beyond the local authority stock, 72 Registered Social Landlord-owned buildings over 18 metres with cladding were reported through the HRI and the high pressure laminate cladding data collection. To enhance our understanding further, information on any relevant buildings over 11 metres has been requested from all RSLs. We have so far received 87 returns, with the remainder due by end of August. Once all returns have been received, the information will be cross-referenced with the HRI and other sources to reduce the likelihood of any buildings being omitted from the programme.

Lastly, 226 privately owned buildings over 18 metres on the HRI have reported cladding. Certain developers have agreed to assess and, if required, remediate buildings for which they are responsible. Owners of unassessed buildings where a developer has not been identified to take responsibility have been proactively contacted by the programme and encouraged to undertake a SBA, with funding offered through the SOC.

By end October 2025, an updated status will be confirmed for all 512 high- rise buildings with known cladding. Some may require no action or only limited assessment, depending on the risks identified.

• Strengthening Risk Management Assurance in Higher-Risk Buildings

Some external wall cladding systems are potentially at a higher risk of fire spread if they comprise of high pressure laminate (HPL) or aluminium composite material (ACM). Certain ACM panels’ have been proven to significantly contribute to fire load and fire growth whilst HPL panels’ fire performance can vary significantly depending on the composition and the use of fire retardants. Using data published by the High Rise Inventory and the high pressure laminate cladding data collection, 144 buildings over 18 metres across all tenures in Scotland have been identified as having HPL (96) or ACM (48) as part of their external wall system.

Of the 144 identified, we have written to all building owners where an SBA is not in progress (or it is known that the building is to be demolished) and requested that an SBA is commissioned by 1 September 2025. Whilst action is already underway for many in this subset, for the purposes of reassurance we are committed to ensuring all will have an SBA commissioned on or before 1 September 2025.

Taken together, these measures represent a fundamental shift from identification to active intervention, ensuring that buildings at risk are not just known, but on a pathway to being made safer.