A list of nearly 450 NSW buildings that are potentially clad with flammable material should be made public, the lobby group for NSW councils says.

The state government has made a bid to keep the list private because of security concerns the buildings could be targeted.

A legal arbiter is currently assessing the government’s claim that it is against the public interest to publish the list. 

Local Government NSW president Linda Scott, who is also a City of Sydney councillor, told a state government inquiry into building regulations on Tuesday that holding back the list of 444 buildings was a public safety issue.  

“It is important from a public safety point of view that the public knows where these risks are and that mitigating actions are taken to resolve the risk,” Cr Scott said on Tuesday.

NSW Police and Fire and Rescue NSW have reportedly told the state’s cladding task force there is a risk to public safety if potentially-affected buildings were to be identified. 

Fire Brigade Employees’ Union NSW state secretary Leighton Drury says only owners, fire agencies and occupants need to know which buildings are affected.

“The government knows how to address this, we must bring back the regulations so firefighters have a key role,” he said in a statement.

“If we’re at risk of having more fires, we need an increase in resources to respond to them.”

NSW Better Regulation Minister Kevin Anderson said the state’s cladding support unit was working to assess high-risk residential buildings.

“The NSW cladding task force is providing regular updates on the progress being made to address cladding issues,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This provides greater accountability for state and local governments and reassures the community that the issue is being addressed.”

Source: AAP