Sadiq Khan hits out at 51 landlords for not removing dangerous cladding
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has slammed 51 London landlords for not removing dangerous cladding from their buildings in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell disaster.
Khan wrote to 47 private landlords and four social landlords who had been given government funding to remove cladding in their buildings that acted as a fire retardant in the Grenfell blaze.
There are more than 100 residential towers in London that still have the cladding, according to government statistics.
Inside Housing reports that the mayor told the landlords that he was “deeply worried to see the number of buildings in London that still have unsafe ACM (aluminium composite material) cladding”.
The names of the landlords were not been divulged by City Hall.
Khan asked all 51 receipients of the letter to provide an in-writing update of what progress they had made in conducting restoration works.
“Given the high risk that unsafe ACM presents to residents and visitors, it is unacceptable that remediating buildings is taking so long,” Khan wrote.
“I am sure you will agree that providing residents with real certainty, clear progress and a firm date for the completion of these works is vital.”
Phase two of the Grenfell inquiry, which looks at the causes of the blaze that killed 72 people, began in January.
Attorney general Suella Braverman ruled in February that cladding companies who gave evidence cannot be charged on criminal offences based on anything they tell the inquiry.
Many of the witnesses from these companies were not prepared to submit evidence to the inquiry, without the government guarantee.