Government slammed over ‘flawed’ cladding plan
Housewives keep their distance
THE Real Housewives of Cheshire stars reunited for a ladies’ lunch in lockdown.
The curtains recently abruptly closed on the 11th series of the ITVBe reality show, which was cut short because of the coronavirus lockdown. But some of the cast were glad to be back together for a catch-up while sticking to social distancing guidelines of no more than six people meeting outdoors.
At the outdoor lunch hosted by one of the show’s original stars, Tanya Bardsley, in her garden were Ester Dee, Christine McGuinness, Hanna Kinsella, Nicole Sealey and pal Sarah Irlam – and they were joined by Tanya’s adorable bulldog Buzz. Christine wrote on her Instagram: “Our first ladies’ lunch in four months! Social distance food and giggles with the girlies this afternoon. It was so lovely to have a little moment of normality!”
THE government has been warned it needs to ‘get a grip’ over delays in stripping all high-rise buildings of dangerous cladding like that which covered Grenfell Tower.
Some 300 buildings are still undergoing work to remove aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, three years after the west London tower block fire which killed 72 people.
A report by independent watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that government plans have ‘lagged behind (their) own expectations’ when it comes to stripping all buildings over
18m of ACM.
Officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government identified a total of 455 buildings over 18m tall covered in ACM like that which was on Grenfell. In total, 155 of these buildings have had all of the ACM cladding removed, and 300 are still undergoing work – known as remediation – to be cleared of the material.
The report doesn’t identify where the tower blocks are, but in October Greater Manchester High Rise Task Force released figures saying 79 apartment blocks in the region didn’t meet fire safety standards, with at least 30 of those buildings covered in the same style of ACM cladding as Grenfell.
Last July, James Brokenshire, the then secretary of state for housing, said that ‘other than in exceptional circumstances, building owners should complete remediation by June 2020.’ But the report now warns the housing ministry estimates that most buildings won’t be remediated until the end of 2021.
A spokesman for campaign group Manchester Cladiators, which represents tower block residents, said: “The government has adopted a slow and flawed fire safety strategy throughout the three-year period since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. First seeking to persuade building owners and developers to fund the costs of replacing cladding, which took far too long and only worked in limited cases.
“When that failed it decided to launch the ACM Fund, following a campaign co-founded by Manchester Cladiators. At that point the government turned down offers of industry help to design the fund’s prospectus.
“Since then the process has been riddled with delays, with toing and froing between government officials and building managers wasting significant time.” They added: “The government now needs to get a grip on the ACM Fund and deliver on its promise to make these buildings safe as soon as possible.”
Paul Dennett, chair of the Greater Manchester High Rise Task Force, said: “The recent report by the UK Cladding Action Group sets out starkly the impact on residents’ mental health and wellbeing from what we must now consider a national regulatory and public health crisis.”
A housing ministry spokesman said: “The government has provided £1.6 billion to ensure unsafe ACM and nonACM cladding is removed swiftly from high-rise buildings, and is bringing forward the biggest change in building safety in a generation.”