You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Government withdraws claim that 600 tower blocks have 'similar' cladding to Grenfell
The government has withdrawn its earlier claim that 600 tower blocks have ’similar’ cladding to Grenfell Tower, confirming that seven cases have in fact been confirmed.
A Downing Street spokesperson said that an earlier briefing that it had identified 600 blocks with similar cladding to Grenfell was misleading.
Instead, it said three blocks had been confirmed to have the same cladding after testing which had risen to seven by the end of the day. The 600 figure referred to the number of buildings with cladding of any kind, which await further testing.
The government is understood to be capable of testing 100 samples per day.
READ MORE
In an urgent statement to the House of Commons this morning Theresa May said tests of cladding on ’a number’ tower blocks in the country have uncovered combustible materials.
She said the relevant local authorities and fire services have been informed and “they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe and to inform affected residents”.
Landlords will be expected to provide alternative accommodation if the buildings are not safe, she said. “We cannot, and will not, ask people to live in unsafe homes.”
She said residents had been informed and added: “There are a number of steps they can undertake and we expect them to act.”
Ms May also admitted that “for too long… under governments of both colours we simply haven’t given enough attention to social housing”.
She added: “It shouldn’t take a disaster of this kind for us to remember that there are people in Britain today whose lives are so far removed from those that many here in Westminster enjoy, that in this tower just a few miles from the Houses of Parliament and in the heart of our great city, people live a fundamentally different life and do not feel the state works for them and are therefore mistrustful of it.”
Affected Grenfell residents will not see their benefits cut if they accept emergency support, Ms May said. She also said no immigration checks would be carried out on people who lived in the tower and all victims will be able to access services such as healthcare and accommodation regardless of their immigration status.
She said it is “right” that the chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea Council has resigned.
All Grenfell residents who lost their homes will be rehoused within three weeks, she said, and 164 properties have been identified and are being checked to be made ready to move into.
In the longer term all those who lost a home will be guaranteed a home “on the same terms” as their old home.
UPDATE: This story was updated following the government’s clarification
