A national task force must be established to “get a grip on the deepening cladding crisis”, according to Labour.
The party’s leader Sir Keir Starmer made the call ahead of a parliamentary debate on Monday about protecting tenants and leaseholders from unsafe cladding.
Labour will push for a vote on the issue in demanding the Government urgently establishes the extent of dangerous cladding and prioritises buildings according to risk.
It comes more than three and a half years after the disaster at Grenfell Tower in 2017, which claimed the lives of 72 people.
Speaking ahead of the debate, Sir Keir said: “Today (Monday) needs to be a turning point for those affected by the cladding scandal.
Government launches £30m fire alarm fund
Residents living in high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding can now get financial support from the Government to help them buy fire alarms.
The £30m relief fund will protect leaseholders from the high costs of ‘waking watches’, where a building is continually patrolled in case of a fire, by providing funds for fire alarms.
‘We know many people are anxious about the costs of waking watches, which was always only intended as an interim measure while historic safety issues were fixed,’ said housing secretary Robert Jenrick.
‘This fund will relieve the financial pressure on residents in these buildings and ensure they will be kept safe. I encourage those who are eligible not to delay and start their applications swiftly so we can distribute the funds as quickly as possible.’
Cladding crisis and borders in Labour crosshairs ahead of Commons votes thelondoneconomic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thelondoneconomic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ministers must set up an Australian-style task force to fix the UK s building cladding crisis by the end of next year, Sir Keir Starmer will demand today.