Publishing an update to the Cladding Remediation Programme action plan, Ms McAllan confirmed additional funding and expanded eligibility, setting out that social housing will now be eligible for remediation funding.

The Single Open Call fund launched in March, allowing owners and residents to apply for a Scottish Government-funded, holistic assessment to determine the work required to make buildings safe. This fund will now be doubled to £20m in 2025/26 and a separate £10m will be made available to prioritise immediate mitigations for buildings most at risk.

The fund has made 258 initial grant funding offers for building owners and residents to take forward a Single Building Assessment. The £10 million additional funding will ensure every eligible application received before the end of December this year will be progressed.

Ms McAllan said: “Scotland’s Cladding Remediation Programme is progressing at pace and the additional £20m I’ve announced today will further expedite this vital work. Doubling the funding for holistic Single Building Assessments to £20m will ensure owners and residents can rapidly and thoroughly assess works required.

“I am also confirming £10m to fund immediate mitigation measures where needed and have today opened a new application process for owners, including social landlords, or their representatives, to apply for funding for essential cladding remediation works identified as part of the assessment process. Finally, I am setting a deadline of 31 October 2025 by which responsible developers must sign the Developers Remediation Contract.

“Ultimately, I am determined that, by 2029, every high-risk residential building over 18 metres will have been resolved, with buildings between 11 and 18 metres placed on a clear pathway to resolution.

“My foremost priority is to ensure the safety of all those living in buildings affected by dangerous cladding.”

Scottish Federation of Housing Associations chief executive Sally Thomas said: “The safety of tenants is absolutely paramount to all of Scotland’s housing associations and co-operatives, and they take their responsibility for this extremely seriously.  

“For this reason, we’ve been clear that while unsafe cladding must be removed urgently, previous government plans did not provide housing associations with a direct pathway to access government funding for doing so. That meant there was a significant risk that the financial burden would fall on social tenants least able to afford it.  

“We are really pleased to see the Scottish Government have acted on our calls and changed direction, which means that there is now a funding package which allows any unsafe cladding to be removed as a matter of urgency and covers these costs across all forms of housing. This is a direct result of SFHA and our members working in partnership with the Scottish Government as the plan was developed. We will continue to work with government to make sure the work proceeds quickly and efficiently for everyone who lives in an affected home.”