In an oral statement to parliament on July 20, communities secretary Sajid Javid provided an update on the Grenfell tragedy and what the Government’s response will be.
He said: “We now believe that no more than 208 local authority and housing association residential blocks over 18 metres tall have been fitted with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding.
“189 of these have had cladding samples tested by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), they’ve been tested by proxy or they have already had their cladding taken down. None of them have passed the limited combustibility test.
“On the advice of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on Building Safety, the BRE is now undertaking system testing that will help establish how combinations of different types of ACM panels with different types of insulation behave in a fire.
“Although legal responsibility for fire safety enforcement lies with local authorities, I do have the power to direct an authority to consider these test results as part of their duty to keep housing conditions under review.
“If necessary, I will not hesitate to use this power, which could lead to enforcement action being taken against a landlord if a fire risk is not dealt with. I do hope it will not come to that.”
In further news, The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced that it has established the Building Safety Programme to ‘identify buildings which are of concern through a thorough checking and testing process.
It will be working with the support of local fire and rescue services and a panel of independent expert advisers, to support landlords in taking immediate steps to ensure the safety of residents and in reaching decisions on any necessary remedial works.
The programme will work with housing providers, schools, hospitals and industry to develop building solutions and a coordinated approach to deliver those solutions.
We will be keeping this story updated as more news unfolds.
