72 people died when a fire destroyed Grenfell Tower in June 2017
Smoke and flames rise from a building on fire in London, Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Metropolitan Police in London say they’re continuing to evacuate people from a massive apartment fire in west London. The fire has been burning for more than three hours and stretches from the second to the 27th floor of the building.(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The £200m bill to replace Grenfell Tower-type cladding on about 150 private high-rise blocks in England is to be met by the government.
Housing Secretary James Brokenshire had previously said the bill should be footed by the owners, not the taxpayer.
But he said owners had been trying to offload the costs on to leaseholders and that the long wait for remedial work had caused anxiety for residents.
Leaseholder groups said the news would be a “relief” but more was needed. MORE
