On the third anniversary of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has once again said that it is ‘wholly unacceptable’ that people are still living in dangerously clad buildings.
Despite the tragedy, 160 residential blocks have still not started to remove the ACM cladding systems – similar to that on Grenfell Tower.
While the NFCC welcomed the additional £1 billion government funding for the removal of cladding, it warns cost should not be a barrier to people’s safety and if necessary, this fund should be increased. In some cases, building owners are not doing enough to support residents, with some leaseholders paying unacceptable fees for safety measures, which were meant to be temporary.
The NFCC has made it clear to government that while some progress has been made, change has not happened quickly enough; fundamental reform of building safety must happen at a faster pace and government should now commit to a clear timetable and date for the removal of unsafe cladding from buildings.
Chair of the NFCC, Roy Wilsher commented: “We want people to feel safe in their homes through better legislation, regulation and clear lines of responsibility. We need to make sure we do not see another tragedy of this scale unfold.
“The situation has been exacerbated by COVID-19 as it has delayed some of the remediation of dangerous cladding. People are spending more time in their homes, fuelling further anxiety and impacting on their day-to-day lives, denying them their right to feel safe.”
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