Rachel posted the following on her Facebook Page:
The shocking and devastating fire in Grenfell Tower this week is deeply concerning to me. That is why I immediately sought reassurances from Redditch Borough Council regarding the condition and safety of council-owned housing blocks here in Redditch.
While there are no tower blocks here in Redditch, still, people are naturally concerned about fire safety even in a low rise building.
I was therefore happy to receive a statement from the Council as follows:
"We would like to assure residents that the cladding applied to our properties and promoted to private households via the Green Deal Communities external wall insulation scheme are all certified and installed to stringent nationally recognised standards by the British Board of Agreement (BBA) as being low risk in respect to fire. It is important to note the system on the Grenfell Tower block was a ventilated rain-screen system and very different to the External Wall Render systems applied to properties within Redditch Borough.
There are no high rise tower blocks within Redditch Borough so risks specific to such buildings do not apply such as potential for any gap between the cladding and the building structure to act like a chimney and draw air up to enhance the burning of any cladding that is on fire. The tallest externally insulated properties in Redditch have no more than three levels and there is no gap between the cladding and the building; the insulation is attached to masonry by mortar and then rendered.
There are fire alarms in all council blocks which are tested weekly"
I would encourage any residents who want to ask specific questions regarding their homes to contact me on [email protected].
This was an appalling event, and all our thoughts go out to those affected. It must not ever be allowed to happen again.