The poll posed the question, ‘How much faith do you have in the government (north and south of the border) to resolve the cladding issue within the next two years?’
A total of 256 attendees voted with 50% saying they were ‘not confident’, 34% were ‘unsure’, 15% suggested that they were ‘somewhat confident’ whilst only 1% opted for the ‘very confident’ option.
This response came from the firm’s monthly webinar series, which revolved around a panel debate on cladding.
The panel included representatives from a number of major lenders and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) who joined John Baguley and Matthew Cumber from Countrywide.
Over 500 people registered for the webinar with 350 actively engaging with the session.
The audience consisted of lenders, brokers, surveyors and other property professionals.
Matthew Cumber, managing director of Countrywide Surveying Services, said: “Cladding is an issue which has generated huge amounts of column inches and concern across the industry.
“As one of the largest surveyor workforces in the UK, we have a duty to raise awareness and help educate property professionals on all aspects of residential property valuations.
“This is an area which needs immediate action and clarity.
“I understand the concerns of industry professionals when it comes to the resolution of cladding-related issues and it demonstrates how a joined-up, responsible and comprehensive approach is urgently needed from the government, backed by all links in the property chain.”
John Baguley, director of technical, risk and compliance at Countrywide Surveying Services, added: “We always knew that cladding would be a hot topic for our first webinar, but who knew it would be this popular?
“A big thanks to our fellow panelists and I sincerely hope that between us, the lending community and RICS we can remove the 18ft ruling so that no matter the type or size of property, they can all be assessed fairly and those that require remedial work are treated equally.”
