We need to make blocks safe immediately, before more people are killed writes Frances Clarke of Tower Blocks UK Tower Blocks UK (TBUK) launched its fire safety checklist in parliament on 17 June. Simultaneously, Grenfell United projected its message onto the outside of the Houses of Parliament. These two actions reflect the same issue on which, two years on from the Grenfell Tower fire and 10 years on from the Lakanal House fire nothing has changed. People in tower blocks are still not safe. (Image: Grenfell United) Through tools such as the fire safety checklist, TBUK is seeking to empower tenants and to enable them to systematically assess the risks in their homes and to report them to th
At a parliamentary event held by Tower Blocks UK and Kent University Law School on 17th June, our new Fire Safety Checklist was launched. The checklist; a tool for high rise residents to identify and raise fire safety issues in their homes, was presented to politicians, academics, housing providers, residents and fire safety experts. The event was hosted by Karen Buck MP, author of the new Homes (Fitness For Human Habitation) Bill, and chaired by former BBC Correspondent Professor Kurt Barling. Speakers included Professor Helen Carr from Kent University, Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad, MySociety Designer Zarino Zappia and Danielle Gregory, a resident evacuated from the Ledbury Estate tower blo
A BBC piece about the ongoing removal of dangerous cladding. Click on the image below to be redirected to the BBC Sounds website. Last month, the government announced a £200 million pound fund to remove and replace Grenfell style cladding on 170 privately owned tower blocks. But there are many more high rise residential buildings covered in other types of cladding which are also flammable and not covered by the bailout. One of the most widely used is High Pressure Laminate or HPL which is currently undergoing fire safety tests ordered by the government. Some experts say the cladding is very likely to fail the test. File on 4 speaks to the families facing bills of more than 20 thousand pounds
The Royal Institute of British Architects are calling on the government to take action to prevent further tragedies. Read their full article by clicking on the link below
