Tower blocks All risky cladding won't be removed until 2031

COUNCIL tenants living in tower blocks in Bristol will have to wait six more years before dangerous cladding is replaced.

- Alex SEABROOK Local democracy reporter

Bristol City Council is planning to remove all the dangerous cladding from its tower blocks faster than initially hoped for, but still not until the next decade. Eight years ago 72 people died after Grenfell Tower in London caught fire. The flammable cladding wrapped around the block of council flats contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze, sparking concerns across the country that similar cladding had been used on other buildings.

But due to a range of reasons, including a shortage of skilled workers, risky cladding remains on many buildings. New government guidelines say cladding should be removed by 2030. Housing chiefs in Bristol reckon they will get all the removals done by 2031 from council tower blocks. However, the changes mean that some tower blocks see scaffolding go up, then taken down, then put back up again to do more work - instead of contractors just doing all the work at once.