Almost 500 buildings in the UK have same cladding as Grenfell Tower, Government report reveals

Secretary of State for Communities, James Brokenshire MP has said he wants to "see swifter progress in removing unsafe cladding"
The report shows six authorities in London have 11 or more buildings with the unsafe cladding on
PA
Olivia Tobin30 June 2018

Almost 500 buildings in the UK are using the same flammable cladding as Grenfell Tower , a Government report has revealed.

Six London boroughs were found to have 11 buildings each containing the material.

The shocking statistic comes from the latest Building Safety Programme, released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The report, published on Thursday, reveals that 470 buildings in the UK are still using the Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding, which is found to not be meeting the current building regulations guidance.

Of these buildings, 3 per cent are publically owned buildings like schools and hospitals.

An automated hose sprays water onto Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in west London that was caught in a huge blaze on June 15, 2017.
AFP/Getty Images

The latest figures, as of June 14 - exactly a year after the tragedy that killed 72 people - showed that buildings managed by councils and private sector buildings like student accommodation and hotels are also using the dangerous cladding.

The report also revealed that 170 buildings are still to be examined to determine if they have they meet safety standards too.

It read: “The cladding status of approximately 170 private sector residential buildings is still to be confirmed.

“Details on all of these buildings have been passed to fire and rescue services. For the majority of these buildings, enforcement notices have now been issued to get information on building construction from owners.”

A vigil held at Grenfell Tower 
PA

Precise addresses of the buildings with the cladding on have not been revealed in the report, but buildings across the country were examined.

Local authorities which had 11 or more buildings with a cladding system that failed the large-scale tests have been disclosed, however, with six being in London alone.

Newham, Wandsworth, Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Brent were found to have 11.

Elsewhere in the country, Salford, Bristol, Leeds, and Manchester were also found to have a high number of buildings failing tests.

The report says buildings like student accommodation has the cladding on 
Jeremy Selwyn

Secretary of State for Communities, James Brokenshire MP said: “The safety of residents is my main priority and fire and rescue services are working with building owners to ensure residents are safe now.

“But I want to see swifter progress in removing unsafe cladding which is why I have announced further action to support councils as they work with owners of high-rise blocks.

“I have been clear that leaseholders should be protected from unfair costs and we expect the industry to do the right thing. If they don’t, I will continue to explore other routes and I am not ruling anything out.”

Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, John Healy MP said: “Figures smuggled out before the England match show shocking rise in buildings found with unsafe Grenfell-style cladding, now almost 500.

“Ministers have been off the pace at every stage in response to Grenfell – must now get a grip.”

The report detailed how it was looking to remove cladding from the buildings. It said it was a “complex” process that would take time.

It read: “The remediation of buildings with ACM cladding is a complex process. Remediation work involves addressing any issues with the exterior cladding system and broader fire safety systems for each building.

“All of this work takes time and varies considerably depending on the building structure, extent of cladding, and existing fire safety systems. For many buildings this is a complex job involving major construction work which needs to be planned, consulted on and carried out carefully.”

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