Over 300 high-rises have Grenfell-style cladding

New government figures show that only seven social housing buildings have fully replaced their unsafe cladding in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Homelessness charity Shelter has revealed that 42 per cent of social housing buildings that use similar cladding have not started work on replacing it, with 158 of the 301 buildings over 18m with similar cladding to that used at Grenfell registered as social housing buildings.

Furthermore, only seven, representing four per cent, of the social housing buildings with unsafe cladding have had it fully replaced. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that ‘remediation work’ is under way on 92 further buildings.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “It’s shocking that more than eight months on from the Grenfell fire only a tiny proportion of unsafe cladding has been replaced on homes across the country. The government’s lack of leadership has driven delays and caused confusion and it must now step up and take responsibility for ensuring these homes are safe. We urge the Secretary of State to do this by providing total clarity on fire-safety and much clearer guidance on who should pay for and carry out these essential works.”