THE issue of high-rise cladded buildings was once again thrust into the spotlight after the material was said to have “played a major role in the rapid spread” of the blaze at The Cube.

Calls to remove cladding from buildings were made in the wake of the Grenfell fire tragedy two years earlier, where flames which rapidly engulfed west London building were fuelled by its ACM cladding system.

It emerged just days after The Cube fire that the government had previously been warned to add the cladding used to the list to be removed from buildings.

In the days after the devastating fire, both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel visited the scene.

But a year on, no funding has been made available to remove cladding from high-rise student accommodation.

The local Labour Group has been leading a campaign pressing the government to provide assistance to student blocks – despite the fact there have been calls to add the type of cladding on The Cube to the list of materials to be removed from buildings.

Meanwhile the government said that other building owners were being given "unprecedented support” to keep residents safe.

Recently Bolton Council urged more financial support for fire safety at buildings like student block The Cube.

Leader of the Labour Group Cllr Nick Peel said: “It's now 12 months since the terrible fire at The Cube.

“Unfortunately, the high-profile visit by the Prime Minister in the aftermath of that disaster has not been followed up by action to help prevent this from happening again in The Cube and buildings like it .

“The government did announce a fund to remediate cladding on some types of buildings, but the majority of buildings, including The Cube, have been arbitrarily excluded from this fund, for a variety of vague and unconnected reasons.

“In the case of The Cube, it will receive no help because it is ‘purpose-built student accommodation’.

“This reason is irrelevant from a fire safety point of view, and is a huge smack in the face for all those who have campaigned for better building safety, especially in the aftermath of Grenfell.”

Bolton Labour Group has an online petition that calls for an increase in the funding pot and widening the criteria to cover all at-risk buildings It also wants the introduction of a complete ban on combustible cladding on all buildings – regardless of height.

The petition can be signed at www.boltonlabour.org.uk/justice-for-grenfell-and-the-cube/.