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Dangerous cladding systems used on hundreds of buildings – including Grenfell Tower – were never put through fire safety tests, investigators believe
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.
On social media
Housing minister Dominic Raab has hit out at Inside Housing on Twitter for “peddling fake news” about the Housing Implementation Taskforce yesterday:
Disappointing to see the respected @insidehousing peddling fake news, asking why I wasn’t at Housing Taskforce - yet reporting on the Commons Urgent Question on fire safety, which clashed and required me to respond in Parliament. t.co/y0YrFF8KiI
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab)Disappointing to see the respected @insidehousing peddling fake news, asking why I wasn’t at Housing Taskforce - yet reporting on the Commons Urgent Question on fire safety, which clashed and required me to respond in Parliament. https://t.co/y0YrFF8KiI
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) February 7, 2018
Here’s the Inside Housing response:
The minister was indeed answering an urgent Q in parliament, as we reported below and here: https://t.co/wfAA2R69b0@DominicRaab we’d be delighted to discuss further... DM and we’ll set up an interview. We’re sure #UKHousing people will have some questions too. https://t.co/fYaW8s9fDr
— Inside Housing (@insidehousing) February 7, 2018
What’s on
Prime Minister’s Questions will take place in the House of Commons at midday