Government has said it is landlords’ responsibility but is keeping this under review
Banners at the Grenfell rally in Parliament Square, central London.
Photograph: Emerson Utracik/Rex/Shutterstock
Survivors of the Grenfell fire have urged ministers to urgently strip
flammable cladding from hundreds of tower blocks across the country,
saying it is unacceptable that people still live in homes wrapped in
materials similar to those that burned so fiercely on 14 June 2017.
Karim Mussilhy, whose uncle died in the blaze, and Natasha Elcock,
who escaped from the 11th floor, made the demand at a rally in
Parliament Square attended by people who escaped the blaze and the
families of victims.
“They should ban the cladding full stop,” said Mussilhy. “We still have death traps out there in London.
Let’s make those changes now and give people the assurance they are
safe in their homes. Sprinklers need to be added and the cladding
removed.”
Ellcock said: “We don’t want the people who died a year ago to have
died in vain. There are also people still living in blocks with this
cladding. We want to ensure that people in social housing don’t get
treated like we did.”
There are 306 residential blocks more than 18 metres in height that
are clad in aluminium composite panels similar to those at Grenfell and
that have failed government fire tests. The cladding remains in place on
54 social housing blocks and dozens more private apartment towers
across England. The cost of replacement has been put as high as £1bn.
The government has said it is the responsibility of landlords to
replace failed cladding, but it is keeping this position under review.
Many blocks remain untouched because of legal disputes between
freeholders and leaseholders over who should pay. The government has
ordered a review of building regulations from Dame Judith Hackitt, who
is expected to report back this week.
There
is widespread concern at Westminster and among survivors that Hackitt
will not recommend a ban on the use of combustible cladding and will say
materials of “limited combustibility” should still be allowed to be
used.
A public inquiry into the Grenfell blaze is due to begin next week.
Survivors successfully lobbied Theresa May to widen the inquiry panel to
examine the broader reasons behind the disaster.
Monday’s rally showcased continued distrust of the authorities among
some in the Grenfell community. Speakers described officials as “aliens”
and “androids”, and the crowd chanted: “No justice! No peace!”
In the Commons, MPs debated proposed measures to increase community
confidence in the public inquiry. Many voiced concern that parliament
and government had already lost the confidence of the Grenfell
residents.
David Lammy, who lost two friends in the fire, said 72
households from Grenfell were still living in hotel rooms and 64
remained in temporary accommodation.
Referring to the survivors’ campaign for an inquiry panel, he said:
“I regret that people who are in grief and in so much pain have had to
organise and campaign to ensure their voices have been heard.
“Theresa May talks about burning injustices, but this injustice
burned. I remind the government of the words of Neville Lawrence [the
father of Stephen Lawrence] in 2012: ‘The loss itself combined with the lack of justice means I have not been able to rest all this time.’”
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Conservative MP for Spelthorne, said his party
had to do more than “give the impression” it cared about the people
affected by Grenfell.
Jess Philips, the Labour MP for Yardley Wood, said: “I ask the
government to be a parent to these people. We have failed in the past to
stop people feeling like they are a bother. There is a class issue
where people feel they recognise hierarchy and can’t speak up. We have
to make sure we never act supreme over these people.”
Her speech was greeted by a round applause from the public gallery, which was filled with survivors of the blaze.
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