Last summer, I saw the very best and worst of government. Hard-working colleagues leaving no stone unturned as they investigated the cause of the Grenfell fire, identifying other buildings at risk and what had to be done to prevent it happening again. It rapidly became clear the current building regulation system is frankly not fit for purpose, and has ultimately cost people their lives.

As we remember a year on the awful events of that night, and our conference sets out the Local Government Association’s (LGA) agenda for the next 12 months, let me be clear: nothing will deter us from ensuring that our residents are kept safe.

It’s right that the Government has said they will fully fund the reasonable costs of removing and replacing unsafe cladding on high-rise residential buildings owned by councils, and we will press the Government to make the funding available as soon as possible.