The government’s new plan for the removal of unsafe cladding has left residents saying they feel ‘betrayed’.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick announced £3.5bn of extra funding in the House of Commons on Wednesday (February 10), calling it the “largest ever government investment in building safety”.
The minister said that grants will be available to people living in high-rises in England over 18 metres tall, or above six storeys. Loans will also be offered to leaseholders in shorter buildings.
But the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign, which represents residents of flats with unfit cladding, said the government had broken its promise.
“We were hoping for a solution to stop the sleepless nights and for millions living in buildings less than 18m there has been none,” the organisation stated.
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“Many people living in buildings under 18m will still have to bear the cost – for many above £30,000 – saddled with debt around their necks for thirty years.
“Where is the money for missing fire breaks, alarms or for cladding on buildings under 18m? Leaseholders are the victims of this crisis and have done nothing wrong to deserve this.”
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Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham also criticised the funding plan, claiming the campaign for a solution to the crisis “will go on.”
The Mayor asked: “How on earth can the Government justify this unfair and divisive move?”.
“The Cube in Bolton was below 18m but it burnt as quickly as Grenfell. 1000s of people in Greater Manchester will now face a choice of unaffordable loans or living with unsafe cladding.”
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How on earth can the Government justify this unfair and divisive move?
The Cube in Bolton was below 18m but it burnt as quickly as Grenfell.
1000s of people in Greater Manchester will now face a choice of unaffordable loans or living with unsafe cladding.
New safety legislation was introduced in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell fire – which killed 72 people – to remove all combustible cladding on tower blocks nationwide.
But flat owners have been charged for the necessary safety repairs to their buildings – leaving thousands of people with “life-changing” bills.
According to Inside Housing, one in six leaseholders involved in the cladding crisis are actively exploring bankruptcy options, with 62% facing costs greater than £30k.
In September, survivors of Grenfell campaigned for the government to do more on cladding – warning them the crisis “could happen again at any time“.
The government announced a £1.6bn building safety fund last year which failed to cover the total cost of repairs – with 700,000 people left living in debt in dangerous high rises.
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Last week it was revealed that Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) would take charge of distributing a £30 million Waking Watch relief fund – covering the installation of fire alarm systems – to local leaseholders.
But for some residents the fund “came too late”, with many having already paid thousands of pounds for Waking Watch measures (which involve security guards patrolling buildings with air horns).
Leaseholders living at Albion Works building in Ancoats reportedly had to pay £400k for seven months of Waking Watch measures, before having a new fire alarm added which was then deemed unsuitable – leading to the reintroduction of Waking Watch patrols in February.
News
Government sets out multi-million-pound plan to move UK away from animal testing in science
Emily Sergeant
A £22m push to ramp up the UK’s move away from animal testing in science is set to bring together cutting-edge tech and research.
The latest figures show there were 2.54 million animal testing procedures in Great Britain in 2025, which is down 3.8% on 2024, but with a further update due to be released later this year, the Government is now moving to ‘capitalise’ on that momentum with funding to shift the nation onto alternative testing options.
A dedicated national research hub and nine new high-tech projects are planned to develop ‘better ways’ to test medicines on human biology rather than animals.
According to the Government, this means treatments for conditions like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be developed ‘faster’ and ‘more precisely’ to not only help patients but crucially also move science away from traditional animal testing.
At the heart of the plans is a new Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub – based in Cambridge and backed by £20 million in Government funding, which will work to build and share models of human tissue, grown from NHS patients, to test new treatments.
The new hub will accelerate the development of testing on ‘organoids’ – tiny, simplified versions of a human gut, tumour or brain, using cells donated by patients.
From beating heart cells in a dish to AI that can predict how drugs move through the body, exciting alternatives to animal testing are transforming medical research.
We're investing £22m to help scientists develop the next generation of life-saving treatments. pic.twitter.com/1EWRQvwySa
— Dept. for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (@biztradegovuk) August 12, 2026
Because these ‘organoids’ retain crucial features of a patient’s own biology, they will help researchers learn how a real person may respond to a drug and provide additional insights that can complement information that is currently obtained from animals.
Scientists will then be able to use these cutting-edge techniques in their own labs to work out which medicines are worth pursuing.
Overall, it’s hoped that the move will slash the time it takes to get ‘potentially life-changing’ treatments to market.
Alongside the funding for the new Hub, nine cutting-edge projects aimed at identifying new methods of animal-free scientific testing – from beating heart cells in a dish, to lab-grown human ear models, and AI that predicts how medicines move through the body – are being funded.
Sadly, many of these still rely on testing on dogs and monkeys, as it stands.
“This marks another significant step forward in the UK’s move away from animal testing in science and research,” commented Science Minister Chris McDonald.
“This is all about backing our world-leading researchers and innovators to improve lives, giving them the tools they need to deliver more effective treatments for horrendous diseases like cancer, while also preventing the need for animal testing wherever possible.
“It’s also a boost for our life sciences sector, fuelling opportunities for new investment and new jobs, and ensuring Britain is better off.”
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
The Manc -
10th February 2021 
