Councils with a combination of ACM cladding and insulation on their high-rise blocks have already taken steps and put in measures to reassure residents about safety.
Responding to the latest fire safety test result on cladding and insulation announced, Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Councils with a combination of ACM cladding and insulation on their high-rise blocks have already taken steps and put in measures to reassure residents about safety.
"It is important that the testing process is now moving towards identifying what materials landlords should be replacing these systems with.
“We are talking to the councils affected about the costs they now face to remove and replace cladding and insulation systems on their high-rise blocks.
“With test fails affecting buildings owned by a range of different landlords across the country, it is clear that the current building regulation system has failed. It is also clear that councils cannot afford to carry out this work.
“As a result, we remain firmly of the view that the Government needs to meet the exceptional cost to councils of removing and replacing cladding and insulation on high-rise blocks.
“Councils want to ensure all residents in their local area are safe in their homes, regardless of whether they own the block or not. There are concerns that other landlords in some areas are not acting as quickly to inform residents about test fails and lack the urgency shown by councils to identify their buildings with the cladding and insulation systems which have failed tests so far and take steps to make them safe.
“We also continue to seek clarity from the Government about the powers available to councils to help encourage landlords to take such action.”
