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Landlords demand cladding answers from government
Social landlords say they have been left in the dark by government over the potential fire risks of cladding that is not made of aluminium composite material (ACM).
The government has commissioned the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to carry out cladding tests but a spokesperson confirmed to Inside Housing the organisation is only testing ACM panels. ACM panels were the type used on Grenfell Tower.
However, landlords have been sending other types of cladding to be tested to try and reassure worried tenants.
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Landlords have still not received test results for non-ACM cladding and have been told by the BRE the samples will not be prioritised because they are not ACM.
This is despite communities secretary Sajid Javid telling the Commons this week that there is no backlog of samples to be tested and urging landlords to send their samples as soon as possible.
In a letter to communities secretary Sajid Javid, Lib Peck, leader of Labour-led Lambeth Council, said: “Why is this ACM testing continuing when it is clear that all will fail? Surely we need to establish whether other forms of cladding are combustible?”
Ms Peck said she was “deeply concerned” about the communication from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on cladding over the past few weeks.
She said the council had sent samples from 31 of its tower blocks that have cladding and had only one test back, which failed.
Ms Peck added: “The testing system is not as it has been publicly portrayed by the DCLG. Samples are visually checked to see if they appear to be ACM type, and if they are, they are tested and if they are not, they are not tested. In this context it is not at all surprising that there is a 100% fail rate.”
Mr Javid told the Commons this week that there is no backlog of samples to be tested and urged landlords to send samples as soon as possible. During the Commons debate, opposition MPs asked why only 181 tower blocks have been tested out of 530 that have cladding.
One housing association chief executive who wished to remain anonymous said their team had asked DCLG for advice and had received a “very unhelpful” response.
Sinead Butters, chair of Placeshapers and chief executive of Aspire, said the government is doing “as much as it can” but added “people living in cladded blocks are concerned and want some sort of proof that cladding is safe”.
Landlords said the message from government is “confused” when ministers talk about 100% of tower blocks failing, without specifying that these are ACM samples.
Nick Murphy, chief executive of Nottingham City Homes, said: “Where I think things have got really confused is where they are making statements about 100% of tower blocks failing… I can see how that is worrying for tenants.”
Paul Smith, cabinet member for housing at Bristol City Council, said while the council is not seeking to have its cladding tested by the BRE it had been told the waiting list for non-ACM testing is nine months.
DCLG did not respond in time for publication.
