Government 'Will Allow Borrowing Flexibility But Not Grant' For Fire Safety Work

Councils may be allowed increased borrowing freedoms and the power to switch funding from general funds to pay for fire safety work to high rises, but the government will not provide direct funding. This was the position revealed by Sajid Javid during a grilling by members of the CLG Committee. Mr Javid confirmed that 31 local authorities have asked for assistance paying for safety measures and that the government is in “detailed discussions” with six of those. He said the government was considering giving extra HRA borrowing flexibilities to the councils, and requests from “one or two” for a one-off transfer to be made from their general funds into their HRA, which is normally ringfenced. However, he said the government was not planning to provide grants for works. Read more on Inside Housing.