A public meeting was held at the Senedd last night to discuss the building safety crisis in Wales.
With around 100 attendees at the event organised by Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Housing, and the Welsh Cladiators, countless heart-breaking accounts were shared as to how leaseholders feel abandoned and ignored by the Welsh Government.
Whilst each member of the Senedd was invited to attend, and each political party offered an opportunity to join the panel, the only members present were Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Jane Dodds MS, Rhys ab Owen MS, and Altaf Hussein MS. Welsh Labour had no representative despite its constituencies including many affected residents and buildings.
The result of the meeting is that Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Welsh Conservative, Jane Dodds MS, Welsh Liberal Democrats, and Rhys ab Owen, Independent, have made a commitment to work cross-party to tackle the cladding nightmare.
The Welsh Government will be challenged during Plenary next week, and 22 questions have been submitted to the Minister for Climate Change today.
Commenting after the meeting, Janet said:
“I would like to thank everyone who attended and especially the Welsh Cladiators for their close cooperation with me to arrange the meeting and hold the Welsh Government to account.
“The fact that so many attended is symbolic of the fact that over 5 years on from Grenfell there has been a complete failure by Welsh Government to ensure that leaseholders are living in safe buildings.
“Whilst the Minister and Welsh Labour chose not to attend the meeting, I can assure you that I will be working cross-party with Jane Dodds MS and Rhys ab Owen MS to try and convince the Welsh Government to bring the nightmare so many Welsh residents are living to an end”.
Mark Thomas, Chairman of the Celestia Management Company Limited, and member of the Welsh Cladiators added:
“We are extremely grateful for all the support and advocacy afforded to us from Janet Finch-Saunders, Rhys ab Owen, and Jane Dodds.
“We desperately need more urgency on tackling this issue within Wales.
“The absence of any Welsh Labour elected representative was particularly disappointing given that we see building and public safety as a non-party political issue.
“We look forward to continue working with Janet, Rhys, Jane and other Senedd members to move this forward”.
ENDS
Notes:
The 22 Written Questions submitted to the Welsh Government following the meeting are:
- Will the Minister state how much money the Welsh Government has awarded for cladding remediation at Aquilla House, Cardiff Bay since 14 June 2017?
- Will the Minister state how much money the Welsh Government has awarded for cladding remediation at housing association properties in Wales since 14 June 2017?
- Will the Minister state how much money the Welsh Government has awarded for cladding remediation at local authority owned properties in Wales since 14 June 2017?
- Will the Minister state whether she will be pursuing housing associations and local authorities to recover any Welsh Government money spent on cladding remediation since 14 June 2017?
- Will the Minister state whether housing associations and local authorities had to make formal applications for buildings safety surveys and remediation works before works were undertaken?
- Will the Minister explain what mental health support is available to residents living in high rise buildings in Wales since 14 June 2017?
- Will the Welsh Government commit to paying for the remediation of privately owned apartment blocks in Wales, and then pursue the developers to recover costs?
- Will the Minister explain how it is just for residents to be living in unsafe apartments with building safety issues on one hand, but with the other, for the same residents to be unable to let those apartments out?
- Does the Minister have a list of all leaseholders in Wales affected by the building safety crisis?
- Will the Minister clarify whether the cost of apartment blocks surveys undertaken and paid for before the Welsh Government announced that it would be organising surveys will be refunded?
- Will the Minister state why some leaseholders have been waiting over a year for the cost of apartment block surveys to be refunded?
- Will the Minister clarify whether there is going to be a legislative underpinning to the developers pact?
- Will the Minister clarify whether those who have signed the developers pact have entered a formal contract with the Welsh Government?
- Will the Minister detail the terms of the developers pact?
- Will the Minister commit to publishing an update every month as to how many privately owned apartment blocks in Wales have been remediated?
- Will the Welsh Government refund leaseholders for the cost of a waking watch?
- What discussions has the Minister undertaken with the UK Government about the fact that insurance premiums on apartment blocks in Wales which have not been remediated are increasing?
- Will the Minister commit to ensure that any agreement reached with mortgage providers has no time limit for remediation?
- Will the Minister undertake discussions with the UK Government about the fact that since 14 June 2017 leaseholders in un-remediated apartment blocks in Wales have only been able to convert their mortgage to buy to let by moving abroad?
- Will the Minister make a statement on the fact that some developers in Wales are potentially not going to accept the results of the building safety surveys arranged by the Welsh Government?
- Will the Minister state how much of the £375m Building Safety Fund has been spent to date, and provide a breakdown?
- How many developers involved in the building safety crisis have been awarded contracts by the Welsh Government since 14 June 2017?
Photos: Meeting held at the Senedd on 1 March 2023
Cafodd cyfarfod cyhoeddus ei gynnal yn y Senedd neithiwr i drafod yr argyfwng diogelwch adeiladau yng Nghymru.
Gydag oddeutu 100 o bobl yn bresennol mewn digwyddiad a drefnwyd gan Janet Finch-Saunders AS, Gweinidog yr Wrthblaid dros Newid Hinsawdd a Thai, a'r Welsh Cladiators, rhannwyd llu o straeon torcalonnus am sut mae lesddeiliaid yn teimlo bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cefnu arnynt ac yn eu hanwybyddu.
Er bod pob aelod o'r Senedd wedi cael gwahoddiad, a chyfle i bob plaid wleidyddol ymuno â'r panel, yr unig aelodau a oedd yn bresennol oedd Janet Finch-Saunders AS, Jane Dodds AS, Rhys ab Owen AS, ac Altaf Hussein AS. Doedd gan Lafur Cymru ddim cynrychiolydd er gwaetha'r ffaith bod ei hetholaethau’n cynnwys llawer o'r trigolion a'r adeiladau sydd wedi'u heffeithio gan y broblem hon.
Canlyniad y cyfarfod yw bod Janet Finch-Saunders AS, y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Jane Dodds AS, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru, a Rhys ab Owen, Annibynnol, wedi gwneud ymrwymiad i weithio'n drawsbleidiol i daclo'r hunllef cladin.
Bydd yn herio Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystod Cyfarfod Llawn yr wythnos nesaf, ac mae 22 o gwestiynau wedi'u cyflwyno i'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd heddiw.
Wrth sôn am y cyfarfod, dywedodd Janet:
“Hoffwn ddiolch i bawb a ddaeth i’r cyfarfod, yn enwedig y Welsh Cladiators am gydweithio’n agos â mi i drefnu'r cyfarfod a dwyn Llywodraeth Cymru i gyfrif.
“Mae'r ffaith bod cymaint yn bresennol yn tystio i fethiant llwyr Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod lesddeiliaid yn byw mewn adeiladau diogel, bum mlynedd wedi trasiedi Grenfell.
“Tra bod y Gweinidog a Llafur Cymru wedi dewis peidio â mynychu'r cyfarfod, gallaf eich sicrhau y byddaf yn gweithio'n drawsbleidiol gyda Jane Dodds AS a Rhys ab Owen AS i geisio darbwyllo Llywodraeth Cymru i ddod â'r hunllef sy'n wynebu llawer o drigolion Cymru i ben".
Wrth siarad ar ôl y cyfarfod, dywedodd Mark Thomas, Cadeirydd Celestia Management Company Limited, ac aelod o'r Welsh Cladiators:
“Rydym yn hynod ddiolchgar am yr holl gefnogaeth ac eiriolaeth a gawsom gan Janet Finch-Saunders, Rhys ab Owen, a Jane Dodds.
“Mae angen mynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn ar fyrder yma yng Nghymru.
“Roedd absenoldeb unrhyw gynrychiolydd etholedig o Lafur Cymru yn hynod siomedig o ystyried ein bod ni'n ystyried adeiladau a diogelwch cyhoeddus yn fater amhleidiol.
“Edrychwn ymlaen at barhau i weithio gyda Janet, Rhys, Jane ac aelodau eraill y Senedd i fwrw'r maen i'r wal".
DIWEDD
Nodiadau:
Dyma'r 22 Cwestiwn Ysgrifenedig a gyflwynwyd i Lywodraeth Cymru yn dilyn y cyfarfod:
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatgan faint o arian mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei ddyfarnu ar gyfer gwaith cyweirio cladin yn Aquilla House, Bae Caerdydd ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatgan faint o arian mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei ddyfarnu ar gyfer gwaith cyweirio cladin mewn eiddo cymdeithasau tai yng Nghymru ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatgan faint o arian mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei ddyfarnu ar gyfer gwaith cyweirio cladin mewn adeiladau sy'n eiddo i awdurdodau lleol Cymru ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatgan a fydd yn gofyn i gymdeithasau tai ac awdurdodau lleol ad-dalu unrhyw arian Llywodraeth Cymru a wariwyd ar gyweirio cladin ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatgan a fu'n rhaid i gymdeithasau tai ac awdurdodau lleol wneud ceisiadau ffurfiol am arolygon diogelwch adeiladau a gwaith cyweirio cyn i waith gael ei wneud?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog esbonio pa gymorth iechyd meddwl sydd ar gael i drigolion sy'n byw mewn adeiladau uchel yng Nghymru ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
- A fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymrwymo i dalu am gyweirio blociau fflatiau sydd dan berchnogaeth breifat yng Nghymru, a mynd ar ôl y datblygwyr i adennill costau?
- A all y Gweinidog egluro sut mae'n iawn i drigolion fyw mewn fflatiau anniogel gyda phroblemau diogelwch adeiladu ar yr un llaw, tra ar y llaw arall, nad oes modd i'r trigolion hynny roi’r fflatiau ar osod?
- A oes gan y Gweinidog restr o’r holl lesddeiliaid yng Nghymru sydd wedi'u heffeithio gan yr argyfwng diogelwch adeiladau?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog egluro a fydd cost arolygon o flociau fflatiau a gynhaliwyd ac y talwyd amdanynt cyn i Lywodraeth Cymru gyhoeddi y byddai'n trefnu arolygon, yn cael ei had-dalu?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddweud pam mae rhai lesddeiliaid wedi bod yn aros dros flwyddyn am ad-daliad o gostau cynnal arolwg o flociau fflatiau?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog gadarnhau a fydd sail ddeddfwriaethol i gytundeb y datblygwyr?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog gadarnhau a yw'r rhai sydd wedi llofnodi cytundeb y datblygwyr wedi ymrwymo i gontract ffurfiol gyda Llywodraeth Cymru?
- A wnaiff y Gweinidog fanylu ar delerau cytundeb y datblygwyr?
- A fydd y Gweinidog yn ymrwymo i gyhoeddi diweddariad bob mis am faint o flociau fflatiau yng Nghymru dan berchnogaeth breifat sydd wedi'u cyweirio?
- A fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ad-dalu lesddeiliaid am gost patrôl effro ('waking watch')?
- Pa drafodaethau mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cynnal gyda Llywodraeth y DU am y ffaith bod premiymau yswiriant ar flociau fflatiau yng Nghymru heb eu cyweirio yn cynyddu?
- A fydd y Gweinidog yn ymrwymo i sicrhau nad yw unrhyw gytundeb a wneir gyda darparwyr morgeisi yn cynnwys terfyn amser ar gyfer gwaith cyweirio?
- A fydd y Gweinidog yn cynnal trafodaethau gyda Llywodraeth y DU am y ffaith mai dim ond drwy symud dramor y mae lesddeiliaid eiddo mewn blociau fflatiau heb eu cyweirio yng Nghymru wedi gallu trosi eu morgais i un 'prynu i osod' ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
- A fydd y Gweinidog yn gwneud datganiad ar y ffaith na fydd rhai datblygwyr yng Nghymru o bosibl am dderbyn canlyniadau'r arolygon diogelwch adeiladau a drefnwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru?
- A fydd y Gweinidog yn datgan faint o'r Gronfa Diogelwch Adeiladau gwerth £375 miliwn sydd wedi'i wario hyd yma, a darparu dadansoddiad o'r ffigurau?
- Faint o ddatblygwyr sy'n rhan o'r argyfwng diogelwch adeiladau sydd wedi cael contractau gan Lywodraeth Cymru ers 14 Mehefin 2017?
Lluniau: Cyfarfod a gynhaliwyd yn y Senedd ar 1 Mawrth 2023
