A personal view from Dame Judith Hackitt
In the early hours of 14 June 2017, a fire spread through Grenfell Tower. Seventy-one people died, many homes were destroyed and countless lives have been affected. The fire appeared to be accelerated by the building’s exterior cladding system, leading to a national programme of extensive testing of the cladding on other high-rise buildings. This revealed widespread use of aluminium composite materials which did not meet the limited combustibility requirements of building regulations guidance, and raised concerns for the safety of others.