Theresa May pledges to foot £400million bill for stripping Grenfell-style danger cladding from tower blocks

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Theresa May today announced that the Government will pay £400 million to cover the cost of removing dangerous cladding from 158 high-rise buildings.

The cash will go to councils and housing associations facing big bills for making tower blocks safe after the Grenfell disaster.

Mrs May said the fire, in which 71 died, was an “unimaginable tragedy and we cannot let it happen again”.

Fire services have carried out inspections at 1,250 high-rise buildings.

The cash will go to councils and housing associations facing big bills for making tower blocks safe after the Grenfell disaster
PA

They identified 158 where cladding should be stripped off. Work is under way at 104 blocks. Councils had warned they would have to cut back essential maintenance and other safety work unless the Government met the cladding bill.

Mrs May told MPs: “Our thoughts as we approach the anniversary of the appalling tragedy that was the Grenfell tower fire are with the victims and survivors and all those affected.”

She said 210 households were in need of a new home and 201 had accepted either temporary or permanent accommodation.

“On the issue of the safety of buildings, the fire and rescue services have visited over 1,250 high rise buildings. Immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of every resident.

"Councils and housing associations must remove dangerous cladding quickly but paying for these works must not undermine their ability to do important maintenance and repair work.

"I have worked closely with the Chancellor and Housing Secretary and today can confirm the Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding by councils and housing associations, estimated at £400 million.”

Mrs May’s pledge comes a day before the first of a series of major reports into what caused the fire last June.

Dame Judith Hackitt’s report into building safety tomorrow is expected to recommend tighter rules to prevent dangerously combustible materials being used in cladding.

More than 200 tower blocks failed safety tests after the Grenfell tragedy. Cladding was taken down from buildings across London and in Manchester, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Sunderland. Five blocks in Camden were evacuated for emergency work.

Tests after the Grenfell tragedy showed panels fitted to the block as part of a £9 million refurbishment would combust if heated to very high temperatures. This allowed a small fire caused by a faulty fridge-freezer to spread rapidly.

The inquiry will seek to establish whether regulations were faulty and the panels were badly fitted or did not match the specifications promised.

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