Almost two years down the line from the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, blamed on dangerous cladding (and more), eight of the blocks owned by Salford City Council and managed by Pendleton Together are still covered in similar cladding.
In June last year, Pendleton Together released a statement that "all tenants have been informed that work is commencing on replacing the cladding and installing sprinklers", yet after delays with tendering and fire safety regulations, nothing has been started and tenants still haven't received any notification of when work will commence.
This week, however, Salford Labour Party, which runs Salford Council, posted an article by its national party calling for private owned blocks to be confiscated and handed over to councils if they haven't had dangerous cladding removed by the end of the year.
The Labour Party has set out a "five-point plan to force the pace of re-cladding on private tower blocks"...
1. Name and shame block-owners with dangerous cladding
2. Set a December deadline for block-owners to get work done, or prove there has been substantial progress
3. Update the sanctions available to councils under the Housing Act 2004 to include fines followed by confiscation of blocks that still have dangerous cladding
4. Make Government funding already set aside for cladding remediation on private blocks available for councils who take over blocks with dangerous cladding
5. Widen the Government-sponsored testing regime to comprehensively test non-ACM as well as ACM cladding, including on private blocks.
"Many private tower block owners have shown zero sign of replacing their Grenfell-style cladding, and Government Ministers are letting them drag their feet" says John Healey MP, Labour's Shadow Housing Secretary
"Two years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, concerned residents are still living in homes that may not be safe and many are having to pay for interim safety measures such as 24-hour fire wardens" he adds "Enough is enough. Private block owners should be made to replace this dangerous cladding, or face councils taking over ownership of these buildings to get this vital safety work done."
This is all very good for pressurising stingy private block owners, but what about councils that still have the dangerous cladding in place?
Meanwhile, City West has completed cladding replacement and sprinkler installations for its properties, and Salix Homes is working on its blocks – but residents living in the eight Pendleton blocks are living in limbo...
This Friday, 14th June, on the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, there will be a vigil at 6pm on the corner of Cross Lane and Broad Street (near McDonald's) facing the Spruce Court and Thorn Court, with speakers including Hilda Palmer from GM Hazards and residents from the blocks.
Last year's vigil was attended by Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, who said: "We don't want it to be another year before anything's ironed out and we get the regulations and investment and funding that we need, because tonight there will be people sleeping in Salford worrying themselves sick...and I know a few people are here today wondering whether they're safe or not. And that's not good enough in today's society..."
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