EXCLUSIVE: Bristol housing chief admits dangerous cladding on 37 high-rise blocks
But Tom Renhard says he doesn't know how long it's been there, or what tests will now be done to make the buildings are safe
Last updated 11th Nov 2022
The man in charge of Bristol's council housing has told us he doesn't know how long dangerous cladding has been on dozens of high-rise blocks across the city, or what tests will now be done to ensure each is safe going forwards.
We sat down with Councillor Tom Renhard for an interview, who's the City Council's cabinet member for Housing Delivery and Homes, after it emerged a fire in one tower block last month was helped to spread by a form of polystyrene cladding.
Six people were injured in the blaze at Ecclestone House in Barton Hill on October 20, which we now know was aided by so called Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Cladding.
Councillor Renhard confirmed the same or similar material is on 37 blocks across the city.
"Thirty-seven of the 38 have got a version of EPS cladding, some of it older, some of it newer systems," he said.
"Then there's one other building with a different type of cladding on which is deemed very similar to EPS cladding."
While the problem is being dealt with, the City Council is introducing so called Waking Watches to every block that does not already have them.
That means fire wardens will be paid to patrol the buildings 24 hours a day, seven days a week so the alarm can be raised immediately if a fire starts.
We are told 11 council blocks already have Waking Watches, meaning they will now be brought in at a further 27.
Councillor Renhard says letters are being sent to residents to inform them of the change, as are text messages, while the council is also arranging face to face meetings.
How is this possible?
Five years on from the Grenfell Tower disaster in London, which killed 72 people, that is a question many people will surely be asking.
So, we asked Councillor Renhard what tests were done on the cladding to check it was safe when it was first installed?
"The introduction of these systems on these blocks will largely have been before my time, so it's difficult for me to comment on that," he said.
"What I would say is I would hope cladding was put on in line with the regulations that were in force at the time.
"The regulations have moved on significantly since Grenfell."
Councillor Renhard says he and the local authority are making sure they are keeping up with those regulations, but also that they are "transparent" about what the situation is.
"All our blocks have an annual fire risk assessment done anyway, the most up to date versions will be being published block by block from next week.
"So, we'll continue to make sure we share information transparently with residents as we get these tests done."
What are the tests?
When we asked him, Councillor Renhard did not appear to know.
"The tests will be carried out by people and organisations that are suitably qualified to do so," he said.
"The ins and outs of the tests, I won't claim to be a full expert in.
"I take more of a strategic overview of what we need to do around fire safety, but we will, on a block-by-block basis, have those tests carried out, which are more intrusive than I think previous testing regimes have been, to make sure that we know exactly what the state of the cladding systems is, what issues there are or aren't and then be clear about what action we're going to take in response."
How do residents feel?
We paid a visit to Ecclestone House earlier this week and at that point, none of the residents we spoke to had heard about the dangerous cladding and its impact on the recent fire.
When we informed them, one resident described their flat as like "a prison cell in the sky."
"It don't surprise me a bit (about the cladding)," he said.
"It doesn't surprise me at all.
"Most of these blocks were built like that, pretty much on the cheap..."
The man said he would like to see the building, which he said was built in the 1960s, knocked down.
"To be honest with you I feel this place should be demolished," he said.
"I feel most tower blocks are well passed their sell by date.
"They should all be demolished and we should be rehoused.
"Of course, that's never going to happen because there's a housing crisis in this country."
He told us he is now hoping to move out, hopefully at some point in the new year.
"I pay my rent, I pay my council tax (and) it feels like an insult," he said.
"I'm paying to live in a prison cell.
"It's a prison cell in the sky."
The Council's message
We put that comment to Councillor Renhard and asked him to respond.
He suggested the resident contact him to have a conversation directly.
"I understand it will be an anxious time for residents," he said.
"We'll be making sure we're in regular contact with residents about the measures that we're taking.
"As I've highlighted text messages and letters either have gone or are going out at the moment.
Meetings between residents and council officials are also being organised, which Councillor Renhard says will take place before Christmas.
Watch the full interview with Councillor Renhard below: