Thirdly, there isn't enough freeholder buy in. They want to make buildings safe but don't see why they should pay. Just as leaseholders didn't build these nor did they. Couple that with frustration over gov reversals of policy, disputes over the BSF etc and you have a further point of conflict.

All of which puts the new gov in a really tough position. We shouldn't be starting from here. But we are. Do you push on (perhaps a bit more funding for LAs etc on RO applications?) or spend a lot of time and political capital on a new approach? Neither is particularly attractive.