'Our desperate families are just numbers on a spreadsheet to tower block owners'
Families living in buildings with unsafe cladding have voiced their anger over inaction seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire
By
Dave BurkePolitical Correspondent
Melissa SigodoNews Reporter
5 Sep 2024
Families living in unsafe tower blocks say they feel like “numbers on a spreadsheet”, seven years after ministers vowed to remove flammable cladding from Britain’s high-rises.
Thousands of blocks of flats still haven’t had dangerous cladding removed despite 72 lives being lost in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, who is Keir Starmer ’s deputy, said it is “not acceptable” that work hasn’t been done. She warned building owners there is "no excuse" not to act
It comes after a bombshell public inquiry report found greed and “systematic dishonesty” led to the 2017 Grenfell blaze. Since the tragedy, surveys have found 4,630 buildings in England that are over 11 metres had unsafe cladding - but just 1,350 have been reclad.
Disgust as 'exodus' of MPs leave Commons without listening to Grenfell statement
Families living in unsafe tower blocks say they feel like “numbers on a spreadsheet”, seven years after ministers vowed to remove flammable cladding from Britain’s high-rises.
Thousands of blocks of flats still haven’t had dangerous cladding removed despite 72 lives being lost in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, who is Keir Starmer ’s deputy, said it is “not acceptable” that work hasn’t been done. She warned building owners there is "no excuse" not to act
It comes after a bombshell public inquiry report found greed and “systematic dishonesty” led to the 2017 Grenfell blaze. Since the tragedy, surveys have found 4,630 buildings in England that are over 11 metres had unsafe cladding - but just 1,350 have been reclad.
Disgust as 'exodus' of MPs leave Commons without listening to Grenfell statement
Robert Zampetti has been locked in a long legal battle to get cladding removed
Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror
Work to make them safe had not even started in over 2,300 cases, according to latest Government figures. “When I was first told about it, I went to bed every night thinking about it,” said Rachael Loftus, 47, an NHS worker who lives in an unsafe block in Leeds.
“No human can sustain that.” She added: “This is a culture of genuinely not valuing the people who live in these homes. We’re numbers on a spreadsheet but we should be able to feel safe.”
Robert Zampetti, who lives just three miles from Grenfell Tower, has been locked in a long legal battle to have the cladding on his building removed. The 62-year-old told The Mirror that the landmark report by Sir Martin Moore-Bick "brings back a lot of emotions" because he saw the fire from his home.
Work to make them safe had not even started in over 2,300 cases, according to latest Government figures. “When I was first told about it, I went to bed every night thinking about it,” said Rachael Loftus, 47, an NHS worker who lives in an unsafe block in Leeds.
“No human can sustain that.” She added: “This is a culture of genuinely not valuing the people who live in these homes. We’re numbers on a spreadsheet but we should be able to feel safe.”
Robert Zampetti, who lives just three miles from Grenfell Tower, has been locked in a long legal battle to have the cladding on his building removed. The 62-year-old told The Mirror that the landmark report by Sir Martin Moore-Bick "brings back a lot of emotions" because he saw the fire from his home.
Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members, said he was appalled at the inaction
Following the tragedy, a series of surveys was carried out on the block he lives in to see if it was dangerous. "When it sank in that we've got an issue, that caused a great deal of anxiety," he said.
"But after all this time we've still got the cladding. It showed they were putting the lives of human beings behind the free market and profit.
"There does come a point where you expect the Government to play a role in protecting its citizens." Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members in the Grenfell Tower fire, said he was appalled that cladding still hasn't been removed from thousands of homes.
He said: "Everybody has failed us and let us down. We've been chasing the [Government] for the cladding to be removed and they haven't removed it."
Seven years after the Grenfell tragedy, thousands of homes still have dangerous cladding
He continued: "The [Conservative government] put their investments before safety and our lives. We're worthless. They put on a show that we're going to do this and do that. But why haven't you removed the cladding seven years on? It's all about bank sheets how much money and how much they can make and they can save.
"People's lives, especially the BAME origin, are worthless." Last week families were evacuated after a fire broke out in a block of flats in Dagenham which was undergoing work to remove cladding.
Campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal called on ministers to "put right this mess" after "too many broken promises since the scale of this crisis has come to light". It said: "Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in homes with the same risk that there was in Grenfell seven years ago. This must change quickly.
He continued: "The [Conservative government] put their investments before safety and our lives. We're worthless. They put on a show that we're going to do this and do that. But why haven't you removed the cladding seven years on? It's all about bank sheets how much money and how much they can make and they can save.
"People's lives, especially the BAME origin, are worthless." Last week families were evacuated after a fire broke out in a block of flats in Dagenham which was undergoing work to remove cladding.
Campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal called on ministers to "put right this mess" after "too many broken promises since the scale of this crisis has come to light". It said: "Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in homes with the same risk that there was in Grenfell seven years ago. This must change quickly.
Angela Rayner said there is no excuse for not acting
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
"Grenfell was a disaster. Its legacy should not also be a tragedy." Ms Rayner said there is “no excuse” for owners not to carry out the lifesaving work - saying delays are “completely unacceptable”.
She warned that many more buildings with dangerous cladding have not been identified. Just 50% of those known to have dangerous cladding are carrying out remediation work, Ms Rayner said, and only 29% have fully removed and replaced it.
She said an announcement will come in the Autumn, when the Government will spell out how it plans to speed the process up. Ms Rayner pointed to a £5billion fund set up following the tragedy to help pay for remediation work.
She said: “I don’t accept that the money’s not there. And these companies, and the people that own these buildings, have financial resources as well.
"I don’t accept that there is not the money to do this remediation.” The Labour frontbencher said legal action has been taken against around 400 property owners, but warned that “complex structures” could slow work down.
The Housing Secretary said: “Sometimes there’s very complex structures to these buildings, like they’re owned offshore. And I’m looking at that now of how we can continue to really hold these building owners to account to make sure that they do the work.
"There’s no excuse to not do this work now.” Ms Rayner said: “It is completely unacceptable that the remediation is taking as long as it has. And that’s what I want to see, concluded much more swiftly.”
It comes as bereaved families called for manslaughter charges to be brought against those responsible for the Grenfell fire. Sir Martin's scathing report found all 72 deaths were "avoidable" and manufacturers deliberately concealed the extent of the danger of the cladding.
He also found that the Tory and coalition governments ignored safety fears. And the tenant management organisation (TMO) - appointed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, treated safety concerns as “inconvenience.”
Shahrukh Aghlani, whose mum and aunt died clasping each other, said: “I expect the CPS to tell us what sort of prosecution they have in mind. To me it's a manslaughter charge and nothing less.”
The Metropolitan Police said officers would spend 12 to 18 months assessing the report's findings.
Charges could include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.
Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members, said: “This inquiry was forced on us, we were not consulted. This inquiry hasn't taught me anything, in fact it delayed the justice that my family deserves."
She warned that many more buildings with dangerous cladding have not been identified. Just 50% of those known to have dangerous cladding are carrying out remediation work, Ms Rayner said, and only 29% have fully removed and replaced it.
She said an announcement will come in the Autumn, when the Government will spell out how it plans to speed the process up. Ms Rayner pointed to a £5billion fund set up following the tragedy to help pay for remediation work.
She said: “I don’t accept that the money’s not there. And these companies, and the people that own these buildings, have financial resources as well.
"I don’t accept that there is not the money to do this remediation.” The Labour frontbencher said legal action has been taken against around 400 property owners, but warned that “complex structures” could slow work down.
The Housing Secretary said: “Sometimes there’s very complex structures to these buildings, like they’re owned offshore. And I’m looking at that now of how we can continue to really hold these building owners to account to make sure that they do the work.
"There’s no excuse to not do this work now.” Ms Rayner said: “It is completely unacceptable that the remediation is taking as long as it has. And that’s what I want to see, concluded much more swiftly.”
It comes as bereaved families called for manslaughter charges to be brought against those responsible for the Grenfell fire. Sir Martin's scathing report found all 72 deaths were "avoidable" and manufacturers deliberately concealed the extent of the danger of the cladding.
He also found that the Tory and coalition governments ignored safety fears. And the tenant management organisation (TMO) - appointed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, treated safety concerns as “inconvenience.”
Shahrukh Aghlani, whose mum and aunt died clasping each other, said: “I expect the CPS to tell us what sort of prosecution they have in mind. To me it's a manslaughter charge and nothing less.”
The Metropolitan Police said officers would spend 12 to 18 months assessing the report's findings.
Charges could include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.
Hisam Choucair, who lost six family members, said: “This inquiry was forced on us, we were not consulted. This inquiry hasn't taught me anything, in fact it delayed the justice that my family deserves."
Company criticised in Grenfell report still making millions from council contracts
Angela Rayner has vowed to put pressure on developers to speed up the removal of dangerous cladding from more than two thousand buildings.
The government has also confirmed that it has no contracts with the companies criticised in yesterday’s damning report into the Grenfell fire.
But at least one of them is still making millions from contracts with local councils.
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