Danger cladding on 75 high-rises
Government urged to pay for remedial works at tower blocks across the country as all examined fail tests
Flammable cladding has been found on 75 highrise buildings across 26 local authority areas in the wake of the Grenfell fire disaster, it was confirmed yesterday as the government was urged to fund the full cost of remedial work.
The so-called combustibility test has been failed by every building examined so far.
FLAMMABLE CLADDING has been found on 75 high-rise buildings across 26 local authority areas tested in the wake of the Grenfell fire disaster, it was confirmed yesterday as the government came under further pressure.
The so-called combustibility test has been failed by every building examined so far, Sajid Javid said, before urging local authorities to urgently send samples in to be investigated.
Describing the Grenfell Tower fire as “a catastrophic failure”, he announced the formation of an independent expert advisory panel to advise the Government on any immediate steps that need to be taken on fire safety.
Labour argued that a “triple fire safety lock” must be put in place to guarantee the standards of buildings in future.
Shadow housing secretary John Healey said such a test would include materials being fit for purpose and meeting safety specifications, plus regular fire risk assessments.
He also questioned why only 75 cladding tests had taken place so far, before accusing ministers of watering down the Prime Minister’s pledge to temporarily rehouse every former Grenfell resident within three weeks.
Mr Javid confirmed 373 of the households were still in emergency accommodation, although most have had housing assessments unless they chose to delay.
He said the commitment was to make an offer within three weeks, but some might not be accommodated by then if they wanted more time to decide.
Addressing the Commons last night, the Communities and Local Government Secretary also revealed the Government has pledged £1 million to boost the work by charities to support those in need since the blaze.
It claimed the lives of 79 people, leaving hundreds more without a roof over their heads.
Meanwhile, the Government has been urged by the Liberal Democrats to fund the full cost of remedial work required for tower blocks across the country.
The party’s spokeswoman, Baroness Pinnock, asked in the Lords who was going to meet the “enormous cost” of re-cladding affected buildings.
She warned that “cashstrapped” local authorities and the NHS were unlikely to be able to pay for replacement cladding and other improvement works.
Communities minister Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth said ministers will be talking with local authorities about the costs but at the moment they didn’t know what the full costs would be.
Samples from three housing blocks in Lower Mixenden, a village outside Halifax, and from Harold Lambert Court in Sheffield are undergoing tests.
Doncaster Council is removing decorative window capping on the external stairwell windows of Silverwood House as a precautionary measure, following the Government test. And three buildings in Stockton-on-Tees are among those to have failed.
Elsewhere, Leeds City Council held an emergency meeting of all department heads yesterday as it confirmed an “extremely robust” fire safety review of its own tower block as well as urgent checks in private sector blocks.