The Government has announced it will cover the £200 million bill of replacing Grenfell Tower-type cladding on more than 150 private tower blocks around England.
In June 2018, the London Assembly unanimously called for urgent safeguards for London residents, including funding help for the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding.
In response to the announcement, Andrew Dismore AM, Chair of the London Assembly Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee, said:
“Nearly two years after the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, the Government has finally put the safety of residents first. Now building owners need to act quickly and fix ACM cladding that poses a clear and acknowledged risk to residents.
“This is a well-deserved victory for leaseholders and the UK Cladding Action Group who have worked tirelessly to get justice.
“There are still big questions for the Government – not least concerning what they will do about other types of flammable cladding used on many tower blocks. Some London councils are already addressing this next step.
“Private building owners are being bailed out despite their failure to protect residents; we must not accept these same building owners lagging behind the social sector again when it comes to other fire safety issues.”
Notes to editors
- London Assembly’s motion.
- Read Never Again: Sprinklers As The Next Step For Fire Safety
- Andrew Dismore AM, Chair of the Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning committee is available for interview.
- Find out more about the London Assembly Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Giles Broadbent on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.