William Eichler 28 February 2018

Unsafe cladding removed from only 4% of affected social housing

Only seven social housing buildings have fully replaced their unsafe cladding in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, shocking new findings reveal.

The homelessness charity Shelter has warned 42% of social housing buildings that use similar cladding to that used at Grenfell have not started work on replacing it.

The Grenfell Tower fire last June spread rapidly because of the type of cladding used on the building’s exterior.

In response to the tragedy, the Government organised the testing and replacing of cladding on private and public buildings.

They also established the Building Safety Programme (BSP) which publishes monthly updates on the high-rise residential buildings in England that have unsafe cladding.

There are currently 301 buildings over 18m with similar cladding to that used at Grenfell. 158 of these are social housing buildings.

In their analysis of the recent BSP update, Shelter found only 4% — or seven — of the social housing buildings with unsafe cladding have had it fully replaced.

‘It’s shocking that more than eight months on from the Grenfell fire only a tiny proportion of unsafe cladding has been replaced on homes across the country,’ said Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate.

‘The Government’s lack of leadership has driven delays and caused confusion and it must now step up and take responsibility for ensuring these homes are safe.

‘We urge the Secretary of State to do this by providing total clarity on fire-safety and much clearer guidance on who should pay for and carry out these essential works.’

For more on Grenfell read our feature, 'Lessons from the ashes of Grenfell.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Head of Democratic Services, Elections & Monitoring Officer

Harborough District Council
Grade 12 £67,236 – £71,223 plus £3000pa Statutory Officer Allowance
We are looking for an accomplished and proactive leader for our vacant post of Head of Democratic Services & Elections Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Recuriter: Harborough District Council

Residential Youth Practitioner

Oxfordshire County Council
£37035 - £39513
The Move On Service provides intensive supported housing accommodation for young people aged 16 to 18 years who are in the care of the local authority, working to create individual plans for those requiring additional support for their transition towards Witney
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Locality and Community Support Worker - North

Oxfordshire County Council
£37035 - £39513
The Locality & Community Support Service in North Oxfordshire are seeking to recruit a Locality Support Worker to join their Locality & Community Support Team. The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic worker who is passionate about improving outc Banbury
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
£35,412 - £39,152 (pre-progression) / £40,777 - £45,091 (post-progression)
We are looking for social workers who have completed the assessed and supported year in employment to join our Families First teams, working with our Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
Grade 9 £35,412 - £39,152 (Pre-Progression) / Grade 11 £40,777 - £45,091 (Post-Progression)
Are you a nurturing social worker passionate about supporting parents so that children can remain with their birth family?     This could be the right Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner