An industry roundtable convened following the major fire at flats in Dagenham has been told regulators and partners must speed up the remediation of unsafe buildings.
Deputy Prime Minster Angela Rayner and Building Safety Minister Rushanara Ali attended the roundtable, which also hosted West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Paul Dennett and Deputy Mayor of London Jules Pipe, along with key representatives from the London Fire Brigade, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Local Government Association, the Building Safety Regulator, and other key partners.
Ms Rayner praised the bravery of the firefighters but took others to task on the lack of progress on unsafe properties, brought to light in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and demonstrated at the Spectrum Building in Dagenham last week.
“Speeding up the remediation of buildings is absolutely critical. Seven years on from Grenfell, action has been far too slow and the fire in Dagenham is a horrific reminder of the risk unsafe cladding still poses to far too many people.”
“This government will expect more from regulators and partners to make sure action is being taken now to make homes safe, speed up remediation and ensure that buildings in the process of being remediated are managed safely for residents.”
Said Ms Rayner. Building Safety Minister Rushanara Ali added
“I would like to thank the emergency services, council and wider community for all they have done following the fire in Dagenham. It is absolutely essential that central and local government, regulators, and partners come together, as we have today, to drive fast and effective change to get buildings fixed, made safe and make sure residents are protected.”
