Sajid Javid reveals low figure to MPs after high-rise blocks with Grenfell Tower-style material were tested in wake of tragedy

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Of 173 high-rise social housing blocks fitted with aluminium cladding, just eight have been found to pass building regulations connected to fire safety, the government has said in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Twelve weeks after the blaze that devastated the west London block, killing about 80 people, Sajid Javid said tests carried out by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) found165 blocks with unsafe cladding.

Updating the House of Commons on the response to the fire, the communities secretary said local authorities had been advised what steps they needed to take. While the BRE facilities had been made available for owners of private high-rise blocks, just 89 of these had so far been tested, he added.



While a public inquiry is to be held into the cause of the Grenfell fire and the wider lessons from the tragedy, the rapid spread of the blaze has been linked to aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding and associated insulation fitted to the block’s exterior.

Large-scale BRE tests on 173 local authority blocks over 18metres tall known to have ACM cladding found only eight passed the relevant building regulations, known as BR135, Javid said.

Of seven combinations of ACM cladding and internal insulation which were tested, four fell short of what was required and three met standards, Javid said. The versions which failed safety tests were used on 165 blocks.

He said: “The owners of affected buildings have been given details drawn up by our independent expert advisory panel. This covers steps to ensure safety of residents including, where necessary, removal of cladding.”

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Javid told MPs how safety concerns over cladding had spread beyond fire risks. Cladding on some blocks in Glasgow had been identified as possibly unsafe in high winds, he said. He also outlined concerns about the Ledbury estate in Peckham, south-east London, which needs urgent reinforcing to prevent a possibly catastrophic collapse.

He said 57 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire had so far been identified, and praised those carrying out this work.

Javid’s update prompted stiff criticism from John Healey, Labour’s housing secretary, who condemned the government testing programme as “still too slow, too narrow, too confused to do the job that’s needed”.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sajid Javid voiced concerns about the Ledbury estate in south-east London, which needs urgent reinforcing. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

Healey told MPs: “Twelve weeks on he still can’t answer the question: how many of the country’s 4,000 tower blocks are safe, or not fire safe?

“He tells us today that 173 high-rise blocks with aluminium-based cladding have now been tested. When will the many more with non-aluminium cladding be tested so that residents will know whether their homes are safe?”

Healey also criticised the pace of rehousing the 196 households left homeless by the blaze, both in Grenfell and an adjoining low-rise block.

Javid had said that 61 households had so far accepted offers of temporary accommodation and 29 had moved in, while 10 had accepted permanent housing, of which two households had moved in.

Javid defended the numbers, saying some people did not want to move twice and preferred to remain in hotels until a permanent home was agreed.

He said: “But we’re talking here about people’s homes and their lives. What matters isn’t ticking boxes but working at the pace that suits the needs and the circumstances of individual residents. We don’t want to rush anyone.

“I don’t want to see anyone living in emergency accommodation for any longer than is necessary. But nor do I want to see families forced to move or to make snap decisions simply so I have better numbers to report at the despatch box.”

But Healey said this was not good enough: “Twelve weeks on, how on earth can it be that only 29 households out of 196 from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk have been rehoused?

“What is the secretary of state doing to speed this up, and when will all the survivors be offered permanent rehousing? Because a hotel room is no home, and temporary housing is no place to rebuild shattered lives.”