MPs have called on the government to urgently release cash to accelerate the removal of combustible Grenfell-style cladding that remains fully in place on 54 social housing blocks and dozens more private apartment towers across England.

Legal disputes over who should pay to refit buildings that failed fire tests in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire are holding up works and 44 MPs have told the housing secretary, James Brokenshire: “Our constituents … need you to act now.”

Government tests showed 304 buildings failed to meet building regulations after the disaster 11 months ago, which claimed 72 lives. Only seven of those buildings are so far known to have completed remedial works. The bill has been estimated at about £1bn and residents in some buildings have been told the value of their homes has slumped, in one case from £475,000 to £50,000.

The call came as the National Fire Chiefs Council issued new guidance stating that using fire wardens to patrol apartment blocks, which have cost leaseholders thousands of pounds a week, are not adequate and fire alarms should be installed.

People living in affected blocks have previously been told they may need to evacuate in the case of a fire instead of sticking to existing “stay put” instructions.

The guidance states that “a temporary change to a simultaneous evacuation strategy is likely to be necessary until the failings have been rectified”.



Fire chiefs have preferred the stay put strategy partly because evacuation of large buildings can delay firefighting and rescue and it can be difficult for disabled people to get out unassisted. But they said the risk posed by failed cladding systems outweighed those risks.

“Nearly a year after Grenfell, not enough has been done to prevent another fire,” said the MPs’ letter, which was organised by Steve Reed, the MP for Croydon North, who has campaigned for the removal of flammable cladding from the 95-apartment Citiscape building in his area. A property tribunal has ruled that the leaseholders, rather than the management company, should pay £500,000 to make their building safe.

“There is overwhelming public support for action to protect these people from fire,” the MPs said. “Leaseholders facing unaffordable debt, unsaleable homes and who fear for their safety need help now. You cannot leave them living in limbo for years while the courts establish legal liability. In the end this is about the protection of human life and the right of every family in this country to know their home is safe. We urge the government to accept responsibility for putting things right because no one else can.”

The previous housing secretary, Sajid Javid, had insisted that building owners were responsible for making their properties safe.

In January, his spokesperson said: “We are clear we want to see private sector landlords follow the lead of the social sector and not pass on the costs of essential cladding replacement to leaseholders. We are keeping the situation under review.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We are working with councils and fire services to help building owners take immediate steps to keep residents safe.

“Dame Judith Hackitt is also carrying out a review into building and fire safety, and she will report back shortly.”



The letter from the 43 Labour MPs and one Liberal Democrat comes amid growing pressure on the prime minister to build trust in the government’s response to the Grenfell disaster.

On Monday, a week before the start of the public inquiry, parliament will debate calls from bereaved families and survivors for Theresa May to appoint additional panel members representative of the community to sit alongside the chair of the inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, “to ensure those affected have confidence in and are willing to fully participate”.