The government looks set to ban combustible cladding on high-rise buildings after its consultation on the issue, a minister has indicated.
Housing secretary James Brokenshire ordered a consultation into a possible ban just a few hours after the publication last week of the Hackitt Review, which attracted criticism from victims and some parts of the construction industry for not recommending one.
Responding to an urgent question on tower block cladding from Labour MP John Healy yesterday, Brokenshire suggested that the government was likely to come down on the side of a ban.
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Brokenshire said: “My predecessor and the then home secretary asked Dame Judith Hackitt to carry out an independent review of building regulations and fire safety. I welcomed her final comprehensive report last week, which called for major reform.
“Having listened carefully to the arguments for banning combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings, the government are minded to agree and will consult accordingly.”
Brokenshire added that he would also be writing to social landlords this week with more details about the government’s plans to fund the removal and replacement of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on buildings.
The move, also announced last week, is expected to cost £400m.
He said: “It is vital that people living in buildings like Grenfell Tower are safe and feel safe. I am confident that the work we are undertaking and the important reforms triggered by the Hackitt review will help to restore confidence and provide the legacy that the Grenfell communities need and deserve.”
