Latest: Government announces consultation on banning dangerous cladding amid furious backlash
The government has announced it will consult on banning flammable cladding just hours after a furious backlash when a review into the Grenfell Tower inferno failed to recommend such a move.
Communities Secretary James Brokenshire also said he will "not hesitate" to ban desk-top studies in building safety tests.
Housing Secretary James Brokenshire announces consultation on banning dangerous cladding - not proposed by Dame Judith in her report on #GrenfellTowerFire https://t.co/L7qXelEusK
— BBC Parliament (@BBCParliament) May 17, 2018
Campaigners branded a report by Dame Judith Hackitt a 'whitewash' after it failed to recommend either of the measures.
Speaking in the House of Commons three hours later after the publication of the report, Mr Brokenshire said:
We are consulting on significantly restricting or banning the use of desk-top studies to assess cladding systems.
He added: "Having listened carefully to concerns, the government will consult on banning the use of combustible materials in cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings."
Dame Judith Hackitt found that indifference and ignorance had led a "race to the bottom" in building safety practices with cost prioritised over safety.
Setting out a series of proposals to make high-rise flats safer to live in in the wake of the June 14 disaster, she said there was a "systemic problem" and recommended the creation of a new regulator.
Some building firms use the ambiguity around the rules to "game the system", with the primary motivation to "do things as quickly and cheaply as possible" rather than focusing on quality, Dame Judith said.
She also found ignorance about the rules, a lack of clarity about who takes responsibility and inadequate oversight.
"The above issues have helped to create a cultural issue across the sector, which can be described as a 'race to the bottom' caused either through indifference, or because the system does not facilitate good practice," she said.
Cladding fuelled the spread of the fire that killed 71 people in the west London block and a subsequent safety operation identified hundreds more buildings with similar set ups.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) called for a ban on flammable cladding, a requirement for sprinklers to be fitted and a second means of escape for high-rise residential buildings.
But Dame Judith said prohibited certain practices would "not address the root causes" of the problems.
She added: "The debate continues to run about whether or not aluminium cladding is used for thermal insulation, weather-proofing or an an internal part of the fabric, fire safety and integrity of the building.
"This illustrates the siloed thinking that is part of the problem we must address."
- - An "outcomes-based approach" to the regulatory approach to be overseen by a new regulator.
- - Clearer roles and responsibilities throughout the design and construction process, as well as during a building's occupation.
- - Residents to be consulted over decisions affecting the safety of their home.
- - A more rigorous and transparent product testing regime.
- - Industry to lead strengthening competence of those involved in building work and to establish an oversight body.
However, the report by Dame Judith Hackitt will stop short of calling for an outright ban on the flammable cladding blamed for the spread of the fire which broke out on the fourth floor of the west London tower block.
Some 71 people died in the blaze on June 14 last year.
Dame Judith said her report will call for greater clarity and tighter policing of guidance already in place, which says cladding must be made of material of limited combustibility.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme ahead of the publication of the report by the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, Dame Judith said: “We need to put in place a new regulatory framework that holds people to account and makes them responsible.”
Dame Judith said her proposals will establish “a very strong and robust system which I am absolutely clear would have prevented the type of materials that were used at Grenfell Tower from getting onto the building in the first place.”
Explaining her decision not to recommend an outright ban on all flammable materials in cladding, she said: “The guidance already says that you can only use materials of limited combustibility or materials that have been fully tested.
“It is clear from Grenfell and from the other tests that have been done that despite the guidance currently saying that, people were putting other materials up, so I don’t think a ban will work.”
The report will call for “tougher sanctions” for breaches of fire safety regulations as part of “a much stronger regulatory regime for high-rise buildings that recognises that there is an inherently high level of risk involved”, said Dame Judith.
She said: “My investigation has determined that there are people out there taking short cuts, cutting costs and not taking responsibility for building buildings that are safe to live in.
“The cultural change is absolutely fundamental. People need to take responsibility for the decisions they are making, they need to take responsibility for complying with the requirements.”
The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) last month told the Government that it was concerned the review will not deliver the key changes it says are needed to protect the public.
Cladding fuelled the spread of the fire and a subsequent safety operation identified hundreds more buildings with similar set-ups.
Theresa May announced on Wednesday the Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding materials from tower blocks by councils and housing associations.
The work is expected to cost about £400 million and will cover removal and replacement of cladding at 158 high-rise blocks in the social sector in England.
Dame Judith, an engineer who chaired the Health and Safety Executive for nearly a decade, told Today that she “absolutely recognised the level of concern and distress” felt by Grenfell survivors and residents of similar tower blocks around the country.
She said: “I would hope that when they see the content of my report and when they read all of the changes that I want to make to this system to make it more robust, that they will recognise that it is about more than simply issuing a ban on certain materials.
"Cladding is one issue. There are many other features, many other short cuts out there that could result in other disasters in the future which we need to address as part of this. It needs a whole-system change."
Shahin Sadafi, chair of the Grenfell United survivors group, told Today it was “very disappointing” that the report appears not to include an outright ban on flammable cladding.
“The report is so important to us,” he said. “When we met Dame Judith, we looked her in the eye and we asked her – among other things – to ban dangerous cladding.
“Today we want her to look us in the eye and and tell us that these dangerous materials will never be used again.
“What keeps us awake at night is knowing that there are schools, hospitals and homes that have this cladding on them. People are not safe in their homes. The cladding needs to be taken down immediately.”
He added: “This is an industry that has put profit above people’s safety. When they rewrite these regulations it must be by people who put safety first, and there must be consequences if these are not followed.”
