IT IS eight years since Newport City Homes took over the city’s council homes, lock, stock and barrel.

As councils across Wales were debating how best to bring local authority housing up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, Newport was the first city to transfer its stock in the way it did.

The main reason was to unlock access to the investment needed to reach the Assembly-set quality standards.

And, to be fair, the investment by NCH since has been staggering.

Millions of pounds has already been spent improving the standard of housing in the city and more investment is planned.

It is a major setback that the tower-block cladding which was so widely welcomed when introduced will now have to go.

But the stringent tests carried out in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy have found it to be lacking and so, it is absolutely right that the cladding is removed.

NCH is to be commended for being diligent in keeping tenants informed and for introducing other safety measures in the tower blocks.

But this work now needs to be carried out sooner rather than later.