Morning Briefing: dangerous cladding system ‘was not tested’

In the news

The Times reports from an unnamed source this morning that three separate police investigations are yet to find any record of independent tests on the cladding/insulation combination installed at Grenfell.

The paper reports that the cladding, and similar systems used on 299 other high rises, was subject to neither a large-scale lab test or a so-called ‘desktop study’ before being fitted.

It comes as Inside Housing reports this morning that major insulation manufacturer Kingspan has contradicted the government’s claim that building regulations clearly require cladding on tower blocks to be of ‘limited combustibility’.

Elsewhere, The Independent ran an exclusive last night revealing that residents of hundreds of flats on the Lancaster West Estate, the site of Grenfell Tower, have been told by Kensington and Chelsea Council that they must start paying rent again.

This is despite more than a fifth of them still living in hotels since the tragedy due to ongoing maintenance issues with the flats.

In other news, former Conservative ministers – including former housing minister Mark Prisk – have written to housing secretary Sajid Javid calling for bolder policies to ease the supply shortage.

Permitted development rights to promote building higher on existing buildings have been ’slammed as weak’, City AM reports.

And finally, outgoing Haringey Council leader Claire Kober has spoken further about her decision to resign and the future of the controversial Haringey Development Vehicle with local paper Ham & High.