SCOTTISH ministers are still checking tower blocks north of the Border to make sure they are not wrapped in the same combustible cladding that has been blamed for the Grenfell Tower blaze that killed at least 79 people.
In a statement released late last night, Communities Minister Angela Constance said the Government were “working intensively with local authorities” to “complete the picture” on the state of Scotland’s tower blocks.
Constance added that the country’s councils had told the government that aluminium composite material (ACM) had not been used in the cladding of any of their high-rise residential buildings.
That confirmation came as Downing Street said there could be around 600 buildings in England with cladding that needed to be tested in case it contained ACM.
At the time of going to press it wasn’t known how many blocks had been tested but seven buildings in four different areas were discovered to have been clad in combustible material.
The cladding is believed to be responsible for how quickly the fire took hold of Grenfell Tower, causing the deaths of least 79 people.
Arconic, an engineering and manufacturing company, said one of its products, Reynobond PE (polyethylene), was “used as one component in the overall cladding system” of Grenfell Tower. It forms the core of the aluminium composite panels used in the cladding.
“We will fully support the authorities as they investigate this tragedy,” a spokesman for the US-based firm said.
There had been some confusion earlier in the day when Downing Street said 600 tower blocks had “similar cladding” to Grenfell Tower.
The Department for Communities and Local Government later clarified that the figure of 600 referred to the number of buildings with cladding of any kind.
Prime Minister Theresa May issued a public apology on Wednesday, after admitting that response at “national and local” levels had failed the residents of Grenfell.
Late on Wednesday, the chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea council Nichola Holgate resigned, saying he had wanted to stay in post but the Government had forced him out.
The Prime Minister was back in the Commons yesterday telling MPs that it was right Holgate had gone as it was clear the local authority had not coped with the fire. She added that the Government was ready to provide new houses if any tower blocks were found to be unsafe.
“We cannot and will not allow people to live in unsafe homes,” May said.
Answering questions from MPs after the statement, May said she could not yet say whether the cladding used on Grenfell Tower complied with relevant fire and building regulations, partly due to possible criminal charges.
May said the fire service and the Building Research Establishment were looking into the matter of the cladding’s compliance. “They have been looking at the cause of the fire and any contributory factors to the fire. They are testing the cladding on the building and they expect to make the results of this public – I think in the next 48 hours,” she added.
Pressed on whether she could say Grenfell's cladding met fire regulations, she said: “This is part of the criminal investigation.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked why the council were not “taking responsibility for this terrible event”, adding: “From Hillsborough to the child sex-abuse scandal, to Grenfell Tower, the pattern is consistent: working-class people’s voices ignored, their concerns dismissed by those in power.
"The Grenfell residents and north Kensington community deserve answers, and thousands of people living in tower blocks around the country need very urgent reassurance.”
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