ANGRY leaseholders have protested in London to demand an end to the cladding scandal after a fire at a building bearing the same flammable material as Grenfell Tower.
More than 100 people gathered at the Isle of Dogs on Saturday to urge politicians to do more to protect leaseholders who face financial hardship in the face of huge bills to make buildings safe.
Following the Grenfell fire in west London in 2017, the government insisted that leaseholders would not bear the cost of removing the flammable materials.
But critics say the Fire Safety Bill will leave some people liable for costs of up to £50,000.
Trapped here forever - plight of cladding scandal victims in Edgbaston in worthless homes
Residents of Hemisphere Apartments faced extra costs of £2,000 per flat last year - while their homes have reduced in value to £0
05:14, 7 MAY 2021
Updated
Get all the latest politics news via email updates Invalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Subscribe
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Your information will be used in accordance with ourPrivacy Notice.
Thank you for subscribingWe have more newslettersShow meSee ourprivacy notice
For cladding scandal victim Vickie Pargetter, there seems to be no end in sight.
Updated 07/05/2021 20:57 BST
Canary Wharf Fire: Grenfell-Style Cladding Still On More Than 100 High-Rises
A blaze at an east London towerblock has fuelled more anger over the years-long scandal.
The government has been condemned for its slow response to the cladding scandal after a fire at a London block covered in the same flammable material as Grenfell Tower left than 40 people in need of medical treatment.
London Fire Brigade said two adults had gone to hospital after suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and a further 38 adults and four children were treated at the scene after the fire ripped through the 19-storey New Providence Wharf development, near Canary Wharf, on Friday morning.
Submitting.
It is hard to truly appreciate the absolute fear of that happening. Yet, that is just the dreadful situation over one million of our fellow citizens find themselves facing now.
Baroness Kath Pinnock of Cleckheaton is a Lib Dem peer and former leader of Kirklees Council.
This situation is the consequence of the cladding scandal. Four years ago there was a very serious fire in the Grenfell Tower in London in which 72 people died. The fire spread so quickly that residents were not able to evacuate.
The public inquiry has established that the cladding on the external walls of the tower block was not fully fire resistant and actually helped the fire to spread.