Thousands in Harrow living with Grenfell-style cladding, new analysis shows

Thousands in Harrow are still living in flats with potentially flammable cladding, almost four years after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in which 72 people died in their homes.

This week, the Labour Party is setting out Labour’s roadmap to safer homes, as analysis shows many thousands of homes across the country are likely to be affected by the cladding crisis.

At least 108 high rise buildings in London including 14 buildings in Harrow are still waiting to have dangerous cladding removed, suggesting there are thousands of people in the city living in unsafe flats.

As the government has repeatedly delayed any action, many leaseholders have been forced to pay thousands of pounds for 24-hour ‘waking watches’. Across the South West as a whole, there are at least nine buildings with waking watches, according to data released by the Labour Party this week.

The Labour Party forced MPs to vote on this matter in Parliament despite opposition to solve this crisis coming from Government benches.

Leader Keir Starmer called for the government to remove the dangerous cladding by paying for it up-front. Costs must be recouped through legal action against those responsible for the cladding crisis, he believes, arguing that leaseholders and taxpayers must not left with the bill for making buildings safe.

Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas said:

“This should not have been a controversial vote. I don’t see how anyone can abstain on the scandal of people trapped in homes built with dangerous cladding.

There are 11 million people in homes which are affected by the cladding scandal. This has gone on too long. The Conservatives need to get a grip and ensure everyone has a safe, secure place to live.”

Harrow Council’s Portfolio lead for Housing Phill O’Dell added:

“I have heard some extremely worrying stories from residents, who are being asked to pay thousands of pounds in waking watch fees and remediation bills that they cannot afford, all while locked down in dangerous buildings.

“As a council we are tackling the housing crisis by building affordable, green and safe homes. The Government are hindering our effort by failing to fix the cladding scandal”