CLADDING on three tower blocks in Newport which failed fire safety tests following the Grenfell Tower blaze last year is to be replaced thanks to a £3 million handout from the Welsh Government.

The three 11-storey blocks run by Newport City Homes – Milton Court in Ringland, Hillview in Gaer and Greenwood in St Julians – were the only ones in Wales to fail safety tests following the fire in June last year.

And now the organisation has been handed £3 million to replace the Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.

The Welsh Government’s housing and regeneration minister Rebecca Evans said: “Since the terrible events at Grenfell Tower last year, we have worked closely with local authorities, building owners, managers, both the private and third sectors and others to gather a full and accurate picture of high-rise residential buildings in Wales, and to ensure that owners and agents are aware of government safety guidance and taking necessary action.

“Newport City Homes acted quickly to safeguard residents, putting in place a number of fire safety measures, including fitting sprinklers.

“Now it’s our turn to support them with this investment, which will enable Newport City Homes to continue their commitment to resident safety, without compromising their vital plans to build more social housing in the city.”

Newport City Homes board chairwoman Nicola Somerville said: “We are delighted that Welsh Government has granted us this money and that our voice has been heard.

“The minister has listened to our concerns and those of Newport.

“I would like to commend her for working in partnership to ensure that our work on making the tower blocks even safer does not impact on other essential initiatives in Newport.

“This is an excellent example of partnership working and agile public services in action.

“It builds upon the intense resident-focussed work we have already carried out in the last year, including retrofitting sprinklers in each of the tower blocks.

“Since that fateful day last June, we have been clear on our purpose to inform and reassure our residents, and their response has been positive.

“This funding from Welsh Government means we can continue to focus our resources on delivering communities in which people want to live, keeping the residents at the heart of everything that we do.”

Newport City Council leader Cllr Debbie Wilcox said: “We are very pleased that Welsh Government is supporting the proactive approach Newport City Homes has taken in relation to the safety and wellbeing of residents living in the city’s tower blocks.

“Newport City Council and Newport City homes benefit from a positive partnership and we have worked closely with them since these issues came to light.

“We will continue to assist Newport City Homes throughout this process and support them in their improvement work across the city.”

A date when the cladding will be replaced is yet to be announced.