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Brokenshire: government will consult on banning combustible cladding
The government will consult on banning combustible materials in cladding on tower blocks, the housing secretary has announced.
In a statement to parliament, James Brokenshire made the announcement despite the government’s official review of building regulations, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, recommending that the government not adopt such a ban.
Mr Brokenshire said: “The cladding believed to be on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used. But I will ensure there is no room for doubt over what materials can be used safely in cladding of high-rise residential buildings.
“Having listened carefully to concerns, the government will consult on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings.”
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The cladding used on Grenfell was aluminium composite material sheets with a polyethylene core. It had a ’Class 0’ rating for fire resistance.
The government has been accused of covering up the fact that this type of cladding was permitted by Approved Document B, which allows Class 0-rated materials to be used on the external surfaces of high-rise buildings.
Ministers and officials had said this applied to cladding before Grenfell, but U-turned after the fire, claiming it should have been considered an insulation product and subject to a standard of limited combustibility.
The government is already consulting on a possible ban on desktop studies, a controversial means of using untested combustible cladding on tower blocks.
Some have questioned how serious the government is about a ban, especially given that its analysis of its different options did not examine the consequences of a ban, and the version it submitted to the European Commission made no mention of a ban at all.
Mr Brokenshire, however, said: “I will not hesitate to ban them if the consultation which closes on the 25 May does not demonstrate that they can be used safely.”
Finally, the secretary of state confirmed that the government will issue a clarified version of its official building regulations fire safety guidance in July.
This story will be updated.
