The scores of blocks included in the flammable apartment cladding that the encased Grenfell Tower does not plan in place to remove it, figures show.
Two and a half years after the deadly blaze in Kensington, government data shows that more than 21,000 families are still living in flats wrapped in aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, causing flames to rise so rapidly in the early hours of 14 Granted permission to spread June 2017.
Statistics published on Thursday suggest that combustible cladding was found in 750 high-rise residential buildings in England, with 315 still to undergo work to remove it, with 6 of them having no plans to do so.
Labor’s shadow housing minister Sarah Jones said the fact that tens of thousands of people were still going to sleep inflammable buildings was “embarrassing”, with fatal tower blocks even being discovered two and a half years after Grenfell, there There are serious questions about the government’s ability and willingness to fix the crisis.
Flames consumed the Grenfell Tower after a fire broke out in the kitchen of the fourth floor flat, killing 42 people.
In response to the fire, the government banned the application of combustible materials, including ACM cladding, in high-rise residential buildings. Still, this restriction does not apply retroactively to buildings that already have panels installed.
The process of identifying these blocks is still underway, with 24 private buildings in the private sector awaiting confirmation of their cladding status.
All local authority housing identified as having ACM cladding – of which there were 46 owned by 15 councils – have now been remediated, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
LGA construction safety spokesman Lord Porter said that while the councils acted ‘swiftly’, some private landlords showed a “lack of urgency” to identify which buildings had cladding systems that could be used for fire safety tests. Have failed, and steps have been taken to make them safe.
In July, the then Housing Minister James Brokenshire said that all private sector buildings with ACM cladding would be fixed by June 2020, a pledge branded “irresponsible and unrealistic” by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Housing expert Stuart Hodgkinson said the government’s response to the Greyfell tragedy was “too slow, too narrow, too manual, and too many vested interests were involved”
He said that without remediation schemes, private building owners were putting benefits before the residents’ safety and well-being.
“But these numbers of dangerous buildings only scratch the surface: the problem extends way beyond ACM cladding on residential buildings over 18 meters. We now need to declare a national emergency. It is serious and urgent,” said Mr. Hodgkinson. Is.
Grapnel United, a group of survivors and bereaved families, responding to the data, said: “After two and a half years it is clear that the government has no intention of making the people safe and is continually dragging its feet on this matter.
“It’s only a matter of time before another tragedy occurs, and the blame will lie entirely on the government’s doorstep.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government said: “The safety of residents remains our top priority and it is utterly unacceptable that people are living in buildings with unsafe ACM cladding.
“We have written to the building owners to reiterate their responsibility in keeping the residents safe, and we will not hesitate to name and shame those who do not have a clear plan to protect their residents.
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