Government Branded ‘Sickening’ Over Safety Loophole That Exempted Bolton Fire Block

The town centre complex in Bradshawgate, described as “luxury student accommodation”, consists of two blocks and only the rear block was damaged, said USL.

On Sunday, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the rear block was just under 18 metres and therefore not classed as a high-rise.

Planning documents from 2013 suggest the building was originally considered for cladding in ACM. It is not known when the plans were changed.

Eva Crossan Jory, vice president of Bolton University’s Student Union, told HuffPost UK they have been “consistently calling for the government to take more urgent action” over the cladding on student housing.

She added: “Student accommodation providers make enormous profits, and we are concerned that in the rush to expand some may have cut corners.

“We want to see immediate action from government to audit all cladding that could be causing fire-safety issues and have it removed it immediately if it is likely to exacerbate a fire. This should also take into account buildings that fall below the 18m ‘high-rise’ definition.”

Labour this week pledged to name and shame owners of blocks still fitted with dangerous cladding, and give councils more power to fine owners without a plan to pull it off their blocks.

Shadow housing secretary John Healey said it was “shameful” that blocks still existed with flammable cladding more than two years on from the Grenfell fire. The tower block in Kensington burnt down in June 2017, killing 72 people.

The government is on course to miss its 2020 target for all high-rise blocks having ACM removed by more than a decade at the current rate: 318 private and public buildings remain at risk, 18 of which are student high-rises.

A majority of the social housing clad in ACM has at least begun having it removed, but the picture is different for private homes, where 144 out of 184 at risk haven’t even seen work start.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson told HuffPost UK in a statement:  “We have repeatedly made clear that building owners must ensure their residents are safe in their homes.  

“We have told building owners how to check the type of cladding on their building and that if it is not safe it must be removed.

“We have also provided councils with funding so they can find out the type of cladding on all high-rise buildings in the country and have tested a number of non-ACM materials, including high pressure laminates, to assess whether any further action is necessary.”