“This has got to end” Manchester cladiators speak out about Salford cladding

Seven out of nine of Pendleton’s high rise blocks still contain the highly flammable aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding.

There is no confirmation as to when, or even if, it will be removed, as the prospect of Salford flats is still a threat with the cladding.

In 2019, cladding on Salford flats, Spruce Court and Thorn Court, was removed, however seven Salford flats still contain ACM, putting the buildings and the people that live there at high risk of a fire spreading rapidly if one were to start.

Cladding is the process of covering the outside of a building with a material to protect it against bad weather and provide thermal insulation. This however, has become an issue since many buildings have been found to contain ACM, which was found in Grenfell Tower where 72 people died in 2017.

Each of the nine buildings are situated in Pendleton, Salford, and range from buildings that have 24-storey blocks to eight-storey blocks.

Pendleton Together Operating Limited are the private finance initiative company that run the buildings for the local council and have not received any of the £400m that was put together for the purpose of removing the ACM. The company had to take out multiple loans in order to complete the first two buildings, delaying the completion of the rest of the buildings.

People across the country are starting to campaign about the ‘Cladding Scandal’ and are trying to get the government to act.

Manchester Cladiators represent Greater Manchester, including Salford, and are made up of a group of residents that have been impacted by the cladding scandal, including both ACM and non-ACM cladding.

The organisation is self-funded, with members funding the Manchester Cladiators with their own money and depend on the support of the public such as donating to their Just Giving page.

Ben Griffiths, a member of the Manchester Cladiators team, lives in the Green Quarter in Manchester and has been affected by the cladding himself; “I tried to sell my flat and was told a few weeks into the process, after I’d picked my own house to move into, that I couldn’t sell because nobody would put a mortgage against these properties”.

Mr Griffiths continued: “We cover Media City, Salford, and we’ve had the Salford Mayor support us; he’s apparently been very helpful to the people of Salford”.

“I think its disgusting. We knew about this three years ago when ACM was found to be the danger material.

Why has it been allowed to carry on for so long? Have they set up a process to protect the people? Have they even considered the people that live there?”.

Mr Griffiths added: “The government need to take action. This has got to end, we can’t let people live in these dangerous buildings any longer”.