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Post-Grenfell cladding work finished on a further six blocks
Work to remove and replace cladding found to be dangerous in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire was completed on a further six high rises last month.
The government’s latest Building Safety Programme figures revealed that remediation had been completed on three social housing blocks, two private residential blocks and one student accommodation building in January.
The January figures released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) today show that 73 blocks previously wrapped in flammable aluminium composite material (ACM) have now had remediation fully completed.
Of these, 40 were social housing blocks owned by councils or housing associations – meaning cladding work has now finished on a quarter of the 159 affected buildings in the sector.
Student accommodation accounted for 26 of the other re-clad buildings, while just seven privately owned residential buildings taller than 18m have had Grenfell-style cladding removed and replaced 19 months on from the disaster.
There are still 361 high rises with ACM cladding in England, 233 of which are private blocks of flats, student blocks or hotels.
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Removal work has started on 79 of the 119 outstanding social housing blocks, while MHCLG says there is a remediation plan in place for another 39 and landlords are developing plans on the remaining one.
Of the 233 private sector buildings, 19 have started remediation, 164 have plans or are making plans for remediation and there are 50 where MHCLG says “remediation plans remain unclear”.
Theresa May suggested last month the owners of these buildings are “refusing” to remove dangerous cladding.
Ministers have repeatedly said they will rule nothing out to force building owners to fix unsafe ACM, but Inside Housing revealed that one firm had described a warning that government could make freeholders pay for the work as a “hollow threat”.
The government has provided funding for cladding remediation in the social housing sector.
MHCLG-commissioned tests on non-ACM cladding are also due to start next month, with an academic warning that the next Grenfell-style disaster will be linked to “high-pressure laminate” cladding.
