After the tragic incident of Grenfell tower in 2017, a massive investigation was launched to determine what caused the fire to spread so rapidly, resulting in an outcome that blamed the poor quality of the additional external cladding used to hold the building together.
The cladding used was below standard and the company providing the cladding ‘knew of fire risk’ – according to the BBC.*
Grenfell tower spurred on a movement within the UK, leading the government to pay closer attention to the materials used within similar property blocks.
After this data was released, figures showed that an estimated 1,700 buildings over 18 metres in height were identified to have unsafe cladding, affecting upwards of 321,000 current residents.**
What the government is doing
After significant pressure from the British public, the government recently announced a pledge of £1.7 billion towards the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding on high-rise residential buildings, otherwise known as the Building Safety Fund.
However, the Building Safety Fund has been criticised by some as not being adequate, as the government itself estimates the total cost of cladding restoration on all 1,700 affected buildings will be between £3 billion and £3.5 billion.
Another criticism of the Building Safety Fund is the available money will be distributed via a first come first served basis rather than on a risk factor, a choice that has been widely criticised.
In December 2018, the government also put a ban in place on all ACM cladding (the cladding used on Grenfell) on residential buildings to stop future high rise buildings from meeting the same fate as Grenfell tower.
For more information, please refer to: www.local.gov.uk/supporting-residents-who-have-been-affected-cladding-issues
*BBC News
**Local GOV.UK