Government promises to help local authorities with essential fire safety works lie in shatters after it refused to pay for sprinklers in tower blocks.
Communities secretary Sajid Javid has refused to commit funding to retro-fit sprinklers to tower blocks, saying that the government will instead await the outcome of a review of fire safety in housing before deciding whether sprinklers should be required by law and paid for by the Government.
But according to Labour MP Dan Carden now is not the time for another review – “we need commitments” to ensure a tragedy such as Grenfell doesn’t repeat itself.
Speaking in the Commons he said: “The secretary of state does not understand that people outside of this place simply cannot grasp his reluctance to accept that sprinklers in tower blocks are necessary fire safety works.”
The strong words come after Mr Javid avoided making any commitment on funding on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
He said that safety assessments are being carried out in high-rises around the country and that “whatever essential fire safety work needs to happen, should happen, and if the assessment is that requires sprinklers, then that should happen too.”
“Those recommendations whatever they are, and I’m not going to second guess them, they will be taken very, very seriously, that’s the correct way to do this.”
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