Ministers set to ban flammable ‘Grenfell cladding’ after outrage at official report which says it should stay legal
DANGEROUS Grenfell cladding is set to be banned by ministers after an outrage at an official review which said it should stay legal.
Housing minister James Brokenshire confirmed that a consultation would be held after campaigners branded Dame Judith Hackitt's report a "whitewash" for failing to put in place their key ask.
Health and safety expert Dame Judith, who published her 184-page review of building rules this morning, said there was a "broken system" but did not go as far as to totally ban the dangerous materials which are still in place on hundreds of buildings across Britain due to obscure rules which say they aren't technically illegal.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a "wholesale culture change" and a "much stronger regulatory regime" was needed after the tragic fire.
The blaze, which ripped through a 24-storey tower block last June, claimed the lives of 71 people.
And she added: "The guidance already says that you can only use materials of limited combustibility or materials that have been fully tested."
She said: "It is clear from Grenfell and from the other tests that have been done that despite the guidance currently saying that, people were putting other materials up, so I don't think a ban will work."
Her report said that ignorance led a "race to the bottom" in building safety practises which prioritised cost-cutting over safety.
But this lunchtime ministers confirmed they would go further and discuss banning flammable cladding altogether.
Mr Brokenshire told MPs: "Having listened carefully to concerns, the government will consult on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings."
And he said he would also "not hesitate" to look at banning so-called 'desktop studies' which don't actually test materials with real fire.
Campaigners and survivors said today that Dame Judith made the wrong call.
Khadijah Mamudu, whose mother and young brother escaped from the west London high-rise, said: "Just for humanity's sake, she has to ban it.
"It basically sends the message that if you are not of a certain class or if you are not of a certain person then your life means nothing."
Shahin Sadafi, chair of the Grenfell United survivors group, told Today it was "very disappointing" that the report didn't ban flammable cladding.
He said: "We looked her in the eye and we asked her - among other things - to ban dangerous cladding."
"What keeps us awake at night is knowing there are schools, hospitals and homes that have this cladding on them. People are not safe in their homes."
MP David Lammy said: "This review is a betrayal and a whitewash. It is unthinkable and unacceptable that so many people can die in a disaster like Grenfell and one year on flammable cladding has not been banned."
And Labour's Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey added: "It beggars belief that the Government’s building safety review gives the green light to combustible materials on high-rise blocks. Ministers simply cannot accept this report."
The Prime Minister's spokeperson said today: "This was a very important report - we are committing to making sure the changes happen as soon as possible."
The Royal Institute of British Architects said last month that a ban on flammable cladding was vital, alongside a requirement for sprinklers to be fitted in new builds and a second escape route in high-rise flats.
The London Fire Brigade said it welcomed other proposals to increase the role of the fire service in safety of buildings - but said sprinklers should be in place in ALL buildings above 18 metres tall.
The Brigade's Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety, Dan Daley said: "Fundamental change is outlined and the Government must now take this forward without undue delay to ensure we have robust legislation and regulation in place to make buildings safer."
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Dodgy cladding which caught alight quickly spread the dangerous blaze across the whole of the building last summer.
Theresa May said yesterday that ministers will fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding round on tower blocks across the country - after months of councils crying out for extra funding.
The work is expected to cost around £400million.
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