Legal move as Grenfell-style cladding still not replaced
COUNCIL CONSIDERING ACTION AGAINST SUB-CONTRACTOR AS 12-MONTH WAIT FOR REMOVAL CONTINUES
RESIDENTS at nine Salford tower blocks have been waiting a year for Grenfell-style cladding to be replaced - now the council is considering legal action.
But councillors have warned that any litigation must not slow down the removal of cladding at the city’s high rises.
Neighbours at the Pendleton Together-run blocks have been waiting a year for the material to be stripped from their homes.
Salford council and the housing association - which manages the homes on behalf of the town hall said last year they would replace the cladding containing aluminium composite material similar to that used at Grenfell Tower.
But work has only started at one block so far.
Coun Michael Wheeler has warned that a lawsuit should not slow down the process of removing the dangerous cladding.
“Someone has dropped a ball here and we believe someone should pay for it,” he said, during a growth and prosperity scrutiny meeting on Monday evening.
“However, we did say that the absolute priority is the residents’ safety and getting the work done.
“That’s why we all agreed that nothing would hold us back from doing the work - we’d get it done and we’d pursue litigation later. Why are we 12 months later and the work is just beginning?”
Deputy mayor John Merry said the council had to prepare itself for litigation against the sub-contractor who did the work.
“We have potential litigation issues to deal with at a future point with the people who put the cladding on in the first place so we need to be careful that we get as much information as possible,” he said.
Coun Merry said delays in removing the material had come about as the council try to find the right technical solution - something they have not received government help with.
Negotiations with the Private Finance Initiative contractor Pendleton Together Operating Limited has also slowed things down, he added.
Two months after the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June last year, the council said it would borrow £25 million to fund the re-cladding and a sprinkler system.
Work is now underway in Plane Court. But Coun Robin Garrido said he was ‘amazed’ it had taken so long to start work, pointing to progress made at tower blocks run by City West.
He questioned why work in one half of the city was near completion, while work on the other side was just starting. “I’d like a lot more answers,” he added.
Salford head of place, Ben Dolan, said City West had less work to do and more freedom to do it. The delay was due to the PFI contract and the ‘complexity of the programme of the work,’ he said.
In a statement given later, Coun Merry said the council is reviewing all options to get works done as quickly as possible on the Pendleton tower blocks.
“Our priority is to make the buildings as safe as possible for the people who live in them,” he added.
“We will also seek to recover any monies that we provide as a loan to our PFI contractor or any costs we cover where we believe a contractor is responsible.”
During the meeting Coun Merry said the council is collecting evidence about the three-year refurbishment of the nine Pendleton Together high rises, which was contracted out to Keepmoat - now part of Engie.
The nine blocks were refurbished as part of £650m PFI at 1,250 homes in the area.
A spokesperson for Engie said “We are investigating this matter and therefore we have no comment to make.”
But frustrated residents attending the meeting said there are problems with the infrastructure, as well as housing allocations.
Residents of Spruce Court have raised concerns that children and people with disabilities are being housed in higher floors and said there is confusion around the fire evacuation plans.
Pendleton Together said there is a ‘package of measures in place to ensure the safety of residents’ and encouraged residents to get in touch with any concerns.