GREATER Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has announced a new task force to inspect the region’s high-rise buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

In response to the tragedy the mayor has held a safety summit with representatives of the fire service, local authorities and landlords.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Burnham said the task force, headed by the Mayor of Salford Cllr Paul Dennett, will work through all buildings of six storeys and above.

Bolton at Home manages five such residential blocks in the borough.

“The task force will work through Greater Manchester building by building to provide reassurance about fire safety standards,” said Mr Burnham.

He added that landlords of tall residential buildings in the area have also agreed to urgently review and update advice given to residents in event of a fire.

And he said the information gathered by the new task force will form the basis of a “robust response” from the region to the public inquiry into the London fire disaster established by the Government.

Mr Burnham stressed that the tragedy has highlighted concerns about cuts made to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s budget.

“We have here, in Greater Manchester, a significant reduction in the size of the fire and rescue service,” he said.

“We have lost a number of fire enforcement officers across Greater Manchester which, of course, limits their ability to provide the reassurance that residents are looking for.So we will be making a strong submission to ensure our fire service has the resources it needs.”

Greater Manchester County Fire Officer Pete O’Reilly paid tribute to the firefighters who tackled the London blaze.

He added: “Grenfell is a game changer in relation to how the fire and rescue service will engage with residents of tower blocks across Greater Manchester. I have assured the Mayor that we will put every resource that we have into making sure that the buildings the residents are concerned about are safe for them to live in.”