Aberdeenshire Council’s headquarters contains similar cladding to Grenfell Tower, it has emerged.
The authority revealed a similar product was used on the exterior of the Westburn Road office.
It came after councils across the UK were forced to review the materials on buildings in the area following the devastating Grenfell fire in west London, which claimed the lives of at least 80 people.
The council has now confirmed that similar cladding to that on the burnt down tower block is on the exterior of the building.
However, unlike Grenfell it is purely decorative and does not contain insulation which is believed to have helped the flames spread so rapidly.
Council leader Jim Gifford said: “I welcome this response from officers, who have put in place a robust plan of prioritising safety checks, from our highest school buildings and council houses, through to care homes and schools which have fewer storeys and undertaking a detailed review of all current testing procedures.
“The safety of our tenants, customers and staff is paramount and we have robust procedures in place. This is a sensible and measured response to the horrific scenes we witnessed in London.”
Meanwhile, officers are reviewing fire safety, fire risk assessments, cladding and external insulation on all of its estate.
There are no multi-storey residential buildings, five levels or above, and all schools that consist of four floors have been checked and are safe.
All other schools are being now being assessed.
Officers are meeting regularly to discuss the review which will involve a wide-ranging programme of work.
This will include verifying the process for testing fire alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting, electrical and gas appliances and supply.
Fire risk assessments will also be reviewed as well as sprinkler systems across the region.
There are 61 sheltered housing blocks in the area, nine currently have sprinklers with another 12 scheduled to have them put in place in the future, based on specific risk assessment for each property.
Chief executive Jim Savege added: “Safety is never something to be taken for granted but what we saw at Grenfell Tower prompted us to be proactive, review our procedures and provide reassurance to the people of Aberdeenshire that all necessary safety measures were in place and appropriate.”
