‘Cautious optimism’ over cladding

There is cautious optimism among those trapped in properties with Grenfell Tower-type cladding that their campaigning has pushed the government into action to resolve their concerns abourt the possibility of a fire starting overnight and heavy insurance costs. The Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington in 2017 killed 72 residents. Fire spread quickly up its exterior cladding, used on millions of properties.

Julie Fraser, spokesperson for Liverpool Cladiators which supports residents with fire safety concerns, is a leaseholder at the Decks, a block of flats in Runcorn. She said: “After Grenfell, residents had safety concerns but in late 2017 we were informed by the agency that manages the flats everything was safe.

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Photo: Julie Fraser, who lives in flats in Runcorn, says her insurance premiums have rocketed (Mark Harvey)