Government has been aware of HPL test failure since November, Malthouse admits
The government has been aware since November that high pressure laminate cladding failed an official safety test, ministers have confirmed.
Kit Malthouse this week confirmed his department became aware eight months ago that high pressure laminate (HPL) cladding failed a large-scale test when combined with combustible insulation.
The test, which combined Trespa panels with Kingspan insulation, was carried out in 2014 and Inside Housing first reported details of it in May. The test report can be downloaded below.
However, rather than publicise the results of this test, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) commissioned its own test combining HPL with non-combustible insulation.
It also reissued Advice Note 14, first issued in December 2017, which told owners of blocks with combustible non-ACM cladding that “the clearest way to ensure safety is to remove unsafe materials”.
However, this note was not updated to mention the test failure, of which the department was now aware.
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The only specific mention of HPL cladding in Advice Note 14 was a paragraph stating: “Other external wall systems are known to have been used on existing buildings which incorporate combustible material (including insulation and facing panels).
“These include but are not limited to: Metal Composite Materials (MCM) faced with other metals such as zinc, copper, and stainless steel; High Pressure Laminates (HPL); and rendered insulation systems. All will perform differently when exposed to a fire.”
In his written answer, Mr Malthouse said: “We are aware of one BS 8414 test carried out in the UK in 2014 on High Pressure Laminate (HPL) panels in combination with a combustible insulation material. This test was commissioned by a private company and the department only became aware of the test in November 2018. We understand that the arrangement tested failed to meet the criteria for passing the test.”
Steve Reed, the Labour MP who put the question, said: “Ministers knew in November 2018 that HPL cladding had failed a fire safety test. They should have taken immediate action to remove it from buildings and keep people safe.
“We already know ministers were warned about flammable cladding before Grenfell went up in flames. There must be no more excuses and no more loss of life. All flammable cladding must immediately be banned and removed, including HPL.”
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Ministers have been criticised for a “desperation to contain the cladding scandal” after choosing to test HPL cladding with mineral wool cladding rather than combustible insulation.
There is currently no public money allocated or official programme to strip HPL buildings. But if HPL fails the government’s new test, pressure will mount on ministers to act.
Industry sources have told Inside Housing that as many as 90% of HPL systems use combustible rather than non-combustible insulation.
HPL panels were used beneath the windows in Lakanal House and assisted the spread of fire in the deadly blaze of 2009, which killed six people.
After that fire, the Metropolitan Police instructed the Building Research Establishment to test the panels, which burned through in four and a half minutes.
A report in the Journal of Hazardous Materials earlier this year concluded that HPL burns 115 times hotter than non-combustible alternatives. As a result, academics warned the “next Grenfell” will be an HPL-clad block.
HPL systems are currently being removed from many social and private towers, but with no government funding, leaseholders are facing crippling bills to pay for its removal.
Inside Housing’s End Our Cladding Scandal campaign calls for a public fund to make these buildings safe.
- Martin Hilditch, editor, Inside Housing
- Manchester Cladiators
- UK Cladding Action Group
- Natasha Elcock, chair, Grenfell United
- Sadiq Khan, mayor of London
- Kate Henderson, chief executive, National Housing Federation
- Terrie Alafat, chief executive, Chartered Institute of Housing
- Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
- Lord Gary Porter, chair of the Local Government Association
- Polly Neate, chief executive, Shelter
- Jane Duncan, chair of the expert advisory group on fire safety, RIBA
- Andy Dark, assistant general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union
- Christina McAnea, assistant general secretary, UNISON
- Sir Peter Bottomley, Conservative MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform
- Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP, and member of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold and Commonhold Reform
- Mark Amesbury, shadow employment minister and Labour MP for Weaver Vale
- Emma Dent Coad, former Labour MP for North Kensington
- Lucy Powell, Labour MP for Manchester Central
- Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
- George Howarth, Labour MP for Knowsley
- Graham Stringer, Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton
- Rob Ellis, presenter, Capital FM
- John Biggs, mayor of Tower Hamlets
- Paul Dennett, mayor of Salford
- Suzanne Richards, councillor and executive member for housing and regeneration on behalf of all Manchester's Labour Councillors
- Sir Richard Leese, Labour councillor and leader Manchester City Council
- John Leech, Manchester Liberal Democrat leader on behalf of all Manchester’s Liberal Democrat councillors
- Darren Rodwell, executive member for housing at London Councils and leader of Barking and Dagenham Council
- George Clarke, TV Architect
- David Walker, bishop of Manchester
- Graham Tomlin, bishop of Kensington
- John Roberts, founder of AO.com
- Josh Beaumont, professional rugby player, Sale Sharks and resident of affected building
- Bill Beaumont, former England rugby captain
- Jeremy Dyson, co-founder of the League of Gentlemen
- Andy Moss, actor who has appeared on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and resident
- Ross Mullan, actor who has appeared in Game of Thrones
- Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, musician
- Nour-eddine Aboudihaj, spokesperson for Justice4Grenfell
- Mike Leonard, chief executive, Building Alliance
- Kate Kendrick, founder, National Leasehold Campaign
- Martin Boyd, chair, Leasehold Knowledge Partnership
- Paula Higgins, chief executive, HomeOwners Alliance
- Mark Henderson, chief executive, Home Group
- Ben Clay, founding member of the Tenants Union
- Hilda Palmer, acting chair of the Hazards Campaign
- Susan Bright, professor of law, University of Oxford
- Gill Kernick, consultant and former Grenfell Resident
- Phil Murphy, fire safety expert and tower block resident
This list will be updated. Please email peter.apps@insidehousing.co.uk if you want to support the campaign
