The drums beat on...
...shame no one is listening.

The drums beat on...
...shame no one is listening.

They should be mandatory.

Grenfell Tower: Government to pay £200m for safer cladding
Magic money tree! There must be an election coming up.
(We should have one every week)

Fire safety experts have warned that 1,700 buildings in England are likely to fail a new round of tests into cladding and building materials.

Hospitals, schools, nursing homes and tower blocks are among buildings which could be "at risk", BBC 5 Live Investigates has learned.

The government said it will monitor the test results this summer to decide if any immediate action needs to be taken.

It comes almost two years after 72 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire.

BBC - Cladding tests 'almost certain to fail', experts say
The government said it will monitor the test results this summer to decide if any immediate action needs to be taken.

A spokesperson for the government's Ministry of Housing, which ordered the tests, said: "We issued an advice notice on non-ACM cladding systems, reiterating the clearest way to ensure fire safety is to remove unsafe materials."

David Lammy MP, who had a friend who died in the fire, said: “These revelations show how Kensington and Chelsea council treated those living in Grenfell Tower with a combination of disdain and indifference in the years running up to the fire, despite repeated safety warnings and complaints from residents.
“If the council had used its £129m in property sales to renovate Grenfell Tower, rather than buying up other properties, 72 lives could have been saved. This forms part of a picture of gross negligence. Those responsible must be held to account.”

Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have welcomed the appointment of two new inquiry panel members as a step towards "truth and justice".
Prof Nabeel Hamdi and architect Thouria Istephan will join Sir Martin Moore-Bick for the inquiry's second phase.
Prime Minister Theresa May appointed the pair after pressure from a campaign group. She said she was "confident" in their "diversity of skills".
Grenfell United said the task ahead of the panel was "immense".
Phase one of the inquiry focused on the events of the night of 14 June 2017 in which 72 people died.
A report into the first stage of hearings was delayed because it was "far more complex and time-consuming" than anticipated.
Phase two, which is expected to start next year, will examine causes of the fire, including the use of cladding blamed for helping it to spread.

So in drawing my conclusion Theresa, I find it difficult to comprehend why you would claim you are proud of the progress you have made following the Grenfell fire and add this to your legacy. Perhaps you have some additional evidence to the contrary. But as a final point, please be minded that 72 dead and still no arrests is something no one should be proud of.

So in drawing my conclusion Theresa, I find it difficult to comprehend why you would claim you are proud of the progress you have made following the Grenfell fire and add this to your legacy. Perhaps you have some additional evidence to the contrary. But as a final point, please be minded that 72 dead and still no arrests is something no one should be proud of.

Resident Mihaela Gheorghe said she had "raised several issues" about the safety of wooden balconies on the blocks of flats.
She added: "I was in my fourth-floor flat when the fire started. We ran out. The fire brigade came but they found it hard to find a water supply at first."
"We said that one day a fire is going to happen.
"We raised several issues to the builder, the maintenance companies and the council about the safety of having all these wooden balconies."

Still nobody listening.

Dozens of Grenfell survivors and relatives are taking legal action in the US against three firms they blame for the fire, the BBC has been told.

The lawsuit will target the cladding maker Arconic, insulation maker Celotex and fridge supplier Whirlpool.

And it might be costing the US.

Grenfell survivors and relatives open US legal battle

Dozens of Grenfell survivors and relatives are taking legal action in the US against three firms they blame for the fire, the BBC has been told.

The lawsuit will target the cladding maker Arconic, insulation maker Celotex and fridge supplier Whirlpool.