Has Grenfell Tower had an effect on UK housebuilding?

Is social housing becoming safer? Or is it lagging behind private developments, asks Iain Smith

If developers had taken fire risks seriously this tragedy would not have happened (Getty)

On 14 June last year, the Grenfell Tower fire tragically killed 72 people with 70 more suffering injuries.

It is believed the fire spread so quickly due to the cladding on the building; the composite foam sandwiched within the cladding is thought to have helped the fire travel up the highrise block.

The cladding that was eventually installed on the block wasn’t the original cladding that was proposed. The initially proposed zinc cladding – which has been found to have greater fire-retardant properties – was swapped for an aluminium alternative to reduce the cost of the renovation work.