No council high-rises in Scotland have cladding used on Grenfell Tower

NO council or housing association high-rise block in Scotland has cladding of the type said to have been used in the Grenfell Tower.

In the wake of the fire in London which killed at least 79 people, the Scottish Government asked all local authorities with high-rise blocks of more than 18 metres to clarify what material, if any, had been applied to the exterior.

Scottish Communities Secretary Angela Constance previously told Holyrood no council blocks had been found to use the same material.

All 32 Scottish local authorities have now confirmed their housing association high-rises are also in the clear.

Urgent tests are ongoing in eight areas to check privately-owned blocks, but most councils report these have also not used the aluminium composite material.

Ms Constance said: “This week, we asked local authorities to give us further information about their high-rise domestic buildings. They have reported that they have over 500 high-rise domestic buildings in their areas.

“All 32 local authorities have advised the Scottish Government that no council or housing association high-rise domestic buildings have the type of cladding reported to have been used in the Grenfell Tower – aluminium composite material (ACM).

“Twenty-four local authorities have also reported to us that no privately-owned high-rise domestic buildings have ACM cladding. The remainder are completing their investigations as a matter of urgency.”

Questions have been raised about the potential role of such cladding in the Grenfell fire.

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said cladding and insulation encasing the building did not pass any fire safety tests, increasing concern the 24-storey block’s facade accelerated the blaze’s spread.