Bolton fire: Ministers knew cladding used on The Cube student flats could be dangerous but ‘refused to intervene to remove it’ Exclusive: Lord Younger said Government would not fund the removal of HPL cladding despite the risk of fire at buildings using the material

Ministers knew the type of cladding involved in last week’s Bolton fire could be dangerous but refused to intervene to remove it from buildings, a newly revealed letter shows.

After MPs raised concerns about the use of high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding earlier this year, a housing minister acknowledged that on some buildings the material was “unlikely to resist the spread of fire”.

But Lord Younger resisted calls for the Government to step in and force landlords to remove it. He also said it would take until the end of March next year to gather data on how many high-rise buildings could be affected.

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Critics accused ministers of failing to keep vulnerable tenants safe and called for all cladding to be subjected to urgent tests.

Urgent tests needed

Over the weekend a six-storey block housing students from the University of Bolton was hit by a devastating fire. One eyewitness reported seeing flames “crawling up the cladding like it was nothing”.

The building was clad in HPL, which uses cellulose fibers to protect and insulate buildings. It is different to the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding used on Grenfell Tower.

In a letter obtained by i which was sent in September from Lord Younger to Angela Smith, then the MP for Penistone & Stockbridge, the minister said the Government would not fund the removal of HPL cladding despite the risk of fire at buildings using the material.

He said: “I understand your concerns about HPL cladding systems, but it is important to stress the HPL cladding systems come in a wide range of fire performance.” Lord Younger said the safest form of HPL was resistant to fire, but added: “Systems using other types of HPL are unlikely to resist the spread of fire, as are systems using any type of HPL with a combustible insulation.”

“We have been very clear that government intervention in relation to ACM cladding does not remove responsibility for building safety from the building owner.”

Investigation into cladding

The minister said a “data collection exercise” on the cladding systems of high-rise buildings would be completed by 31 March, 2020. The exercise would not have covered the Bolton student block because it was less than 18m high.

Ms Smith, who is standing for the Liberal Democrats in Altrincham & Sale West, told i: “It is the responsibility of the Government to safeguard its citizens, ensuring that landlords are fulfilling their duty to their tenants.

“This letter is just another example of this Conservative Government dragging its feet and lives are being put at risk as a consequence. Those living in the private rented sector cannot be forgotten, their safety must also be prioritised with the underwriting of costs being taken forward as a matter of urgency.”

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Labour’s shadow Housing Secretary John Healey called for non-ACM cladding, which would include HPL materials, to be tested by Government-sponsored inspectors in the same way ACM cladding has been since the Grenfell disaster. He also said councils should have the power to take over unsafe blocks and carry out remedial work themselves.

The Fire Protection Association wants a complete ban on combustible materials being used on buildings of any height in the wake of the Bolton blaze.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We have repeatedly made clear that building owners must ensure their residents are safe in their homes. We have told building owners how to check the type of cladding on their building and that if it is not safe it must be removed.

“We have also provided councils with funding so they can find out the type of cladding on all high-rise buildings in the country and have tested a number of non-ACM materials, including high-pressure laminates, to assess whether any further action is necessary.”