London councils "cannot afford" to carry out fire safety improvement works on high-rise towers.
The warning comes in the wake of the latest test results from the government on cladding and insulation systems, in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Councillor Simon Blackburn, Local Government Association (LGA) chair for Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “We are talking to the councils affected about the costs they now face to remove and replace cladding and insulation systems on their high-rise blocks.
“With test fails affecting buildings owned by a range of different landlords across the country, it is clear that the current building regulation system has failed.
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"It is also clear that councils cannot afford to carry out this work.
“As a result, we remain firmly of the view that the Government needs to meet the exceptional cost to councils of removing and replacing cladding and insulation on high-rise blocks."
A number of west London councils have already taken steps and put in measures to reassure residents about safety.
However the LGA, which represents local authorities, has said that moving forward the testing process needs to identify what material landlords should be replacing these systems with.
The LGA says there are 16 councils who own 46 high-rise blocks with a combination of aluminium cladding and insulation.
Another 173 more are owned by housing associations, private and other landlords.
Mr Blackburn suggested there are concerns "landlords in some areas are not acting as quickly to inform residents about test fails".
He claims they "lack the urgency shown by councils to identify their buildings with the cladding and insulation systems which have failed the three tests so far and take steps to make them safe".
“We also continue to seek clarity from the Government about the powers available to councils to help encourage landlords to take such action," he added.
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