Urgent action is needed to replace dangerous cladding in the wake of a major fire at a tower block in east London, the author of a report into the Grenfell Tower disaster has warned.
Dame Judith Hackitt, who led a government review on building safety after the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, said it is “really concerning” that so many people are still living in uncertainty and fear about their homes and that it was “very lucky” nobody died in Monday’s blaze.
Fire ripped through the tower block in Dagenham, which was undergoing “remedial” work to remove and replace “non-compliant cladding” on the fifth and sixth floors containing flats, according to a planning application document.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dame Judith criticised those who have been “passing the buck” on the issue of fixing buildings seven years on from the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people.
“This really about people passing the buck, passing it up the chain and the work has to be done,” she said. “This must be about identifying those responsible and making them pay.”
Cabinet Office minister Ellie Reeves said work to remove dangerous cladding from buildings needs to be “ramped up”.
Pressed on when remediation work will be completed, Ms Reeves told Today: “It’s important that developers are doing what they ought to be doing in relation to remediation works, and where they are not action is taken.
“My understanding is that in blocks with Grenfell-style cladding, something like 88 per cent of remedial works have been completed. There is further to go in blocks with other sorts of cladding that need remedial work.
“But, as I say, I know that the housing minister is looking at this and remediation work needs to be ramped up.”
An investigation into the Dagenham fire has begun and questions around the role of cladding will “form part” of the probe, the London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) assistant commissioner Patrick Goulbourne said.
LFB commissioner, Andy Roe, said on Monday there were “fire safety issues present within the building”.
More than 80 people were evacuated and two were taken to hospital after the blaze broke out.
Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham Margaret Mullane said: “There needs to be a full investigation into the cause of this fire, and why, seven years on from Grenfell, unsafe cladding was still in the process of being removed.
“However, my initial actions will be to help the victims of this terrible tragedy, all in absolute shock, as they are moved into temporary accommodation and begin the process of rebuilding their lives.”
A government spokesperson added: “We must establish the facts surrounding this horrific incident. That is why we are urgently working with the London Fire Brigade and local council to understand exactly what happened and ask if more needs to be done to keep people safe in their homes.”