Progress continues to be made in carrying out remediation to the 45 council-owned and 100 plus housing association-owned blocks with combinations of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding and insulation that have been found not to meet the building regulation standards.
Key messages
- In the two years since the Grenfell Tower fire, councils have worked with the Government to identify dangerous ACM cladding on both social and private housing blocks. The LGA has helped support and coordinate this work.
- We have also been pressing the Government since 2017 to:
- ban combustible materials in cladding systems
- fund the replacement of ACM cladding in the social sector.
- address the problems faced by blameless leaseholders in privately owned blocks with ACM cladding.
- identify other dangerous cladding systems.
- We welcome the steps that have been taken to date to address these issues. The Government has banned combustible materials, funded the removal of ACM cladding and is currently testing several other types of cladding.
- Social housing providers have acted to protect residents. While some private landlords are doing the same, there has been a significant issue with private landlords who are reluctant to act, have attempted to pass charges onto leaseholders or sometimes cannot be identified. If other forms of cladding are found to pose a risk to residents, leaseholders in the affected blocks will face similar issues to those in ACM blocks as will councils and housing associations. The Government will need to act quickly to address these issues if a problem is identified.
- We have been working with the Government to address the problems that were identified with Glass Reinforced Plastic composite fire doors in the wake of the fire. To date the industry has failed to come up with an effective remediation plan and we continue to work with MHCLG to find a solution to this issue which has potentially significant cost implications for our members and for housing associations.
- The fire has raised a large number of issues around the safety of buildings and building products and the systems by which both are regulated. The LGA continues to lobby on behalf of its members and their residents to ensure the system is reformed so that an effective and safe system is delivered as soon as possible.
Download the full briefing
Response to the Grenfell Tower Fire, House of Commons, 6 June 2019