The Local Government Association is calling on government to launch an “urgent and immediate” review of building regulations following the Grenfell Tower fire.
Lord Porter, LGA Chairman, said the industry could not wait for the result of the public inquiry or coroner’s report before any review is started.
"We have to act based on what we know now, while being prepared to revisit the building regulations again in the future if any additional lessons need to be learned," he said.
His call comes as Communities Secretary Sajid Javid told the House of Commons that the number of tower blocks that have failed safety tests have been reduced from 530 to 240 following a further review with help from BRE.
The minister criticised those housing associations who had yet to send in samples for testing. “Some of these housing associations say that they are still investigating the cladding on their towers,” he said. “Five weeks is too long to still be investigating.
“We expect these investigations to be complete and relevant samples sent for testing immediately. There is no excuse for any housing association not to have completed its investigation of cladding materials.
“To ensure we have a complete picture, we strongly encourage all building owners to provide data where it is currently incomplete or needs updating. Together with the Local Government Association and National Housing Federation we are urgently following up to obtain full information.”
However, both the LGA and NHF have been critical of the Government's process. The LGA maintains that with urgent repairs likely to be required on other towers there needs to be greater clarity on regulations.
"There is complexity and confusion in the current system that must be addressed and local government must play a central role in this review from the outset," explained Lord Porter.
"The review needs to consider how easy it is to use, comply with and understand the building regulations and the associated documents supporting them, particularly those relating to the installation of cladding and insulation on external walls of buildings and how the building control, fire safety and planning regimes interact.
"Councils will do whatever it takes to ensure our residents are all safe in their homes. We have been clear all along that entire cladding panels and the insulation behind them need to be fire tested together as a system, rather than just the core of the panels on their own, and are also pleased these much-needed changes to the testing process will now happen. It is vital that we get this right and this whole-system testing needs to happen as soon as possible.
“We are concerned that the Building Research Establishment (BRE), carrying out safety tests, does not feel able to release the results of previous cladding system tests, as these are deemed commercially confidential. If the public are going to have faith in this fire safety testing process then everything needs to be out in the open. It is no time for contractors or manufacturers to withhold test results from both councils and the public.
“The industry and BRE needs to waive this confidentiality in the public interest to assist the Government and councils in gathering as complete a picture as possible of what is and is not acceptable in cladding systems. These are exceptional circumstances when not only the safety of thousands of residents, but also the peace of mind of many more, is at stake.”
