News

“Councils have worked quickly to check cladding on tower blocks where they are the landlord and send samples for independent testing."

Lord Porter addresses more than 1,200 local government leaders, councillors and ministers in his keynote speech at the LGA’s Annual Conference.

“Councils will continue to get on with what they need to do to ensure people are safe in their homes. This includes replacing materials on high-rise blocks affected by these fire safety tests."

“What happened at Grenfell Tower can never be allowed to happen again and no-one should have to live in fear about their safety, be that in the buildings they live in, work in or visit."

Local Government Association Chairman, Lord Porter, responds to the Government’s consultation on strengthening fire testing for cladding systems on residential buildings.

"The findings of this leaked report provide evidence around the urgent need for the Government to change the rules so that all material in cladding systems on complex and high-rise buildings has to be non-combustible."

"The Grenfell Tower fire has exposed a system for ensuring buildings that are safe which is not fit for purpose. The use and misuse of desktop studies is at the heart of the problem"

“It is great that the Government has honoured its commitment from last summer to meet the unexpected exceptional costs for councils arising from major remedial fire safety work on high-rise buildings.”

"Our immediate priority is to ensure that a fire like that at Grenfell never happens again, and to make certain the buildings which people live, visit and work in are safe today. It is therefore disappointing that Dame Judith has stopped short of recommending a ban on combustible materials and the use of desktop studies, both essential measures to improve safety."

“We look forward to working with the Government, councils and fire chiefs as part of this new Taskforce to do all we can to make certain the buildings which people live, visit and work in are safe today.”