Day: September 5, 2024

DAMNING GRENFELL TOWER INQUIRY REPORT PULLS NO PUNCHES

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry has published its second and final report into the
circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire at Grenfell Tower in the early hours of 14 June 2017.

The publication of the Phase 2 report marks the end of a process that began on 15
June 2017 when then Prime Minister Theresa May announced a public inquiry to
examine the disaster with a view to ensuring that a similar disaster could never occur again. The fire at Grenfell Tower was the worst residential fire in the UK since the Second World War and resulted in the deaths of 72 people.

The Phase 1 report was published on 30 October 2019 and focused on the events of
14 June 2017: how the fire started, how it escaped from the flat where it had begun
and how it spread over the whole building with tragic consequences.

Phase 2 of the Inquiry examined the underlying causes of the fire to identify where
mistakes were made and how Grenfell Tower came to be in a condition which
allowed the fire to spread in the way identified by Phase 1. It also investigated the
response of the authorities to the emergency.

Introducing the report, Inquiry Chairman the Rt Hon Sir Martin Moore-Bick explained that the second part of the investigations had taken longer than originally hoped because, as those investigations progressed, the Inquiry uncovered many more matters of concern than had previously been expected:

The Inquiry report finds that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable “and that those who lived in Grenfell Tower were badly failed over a number of years by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of its occupants.”

Sir Martin said: “They include the government, the Tenant Management Organisation, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, those who manufactured and supplied the materials used in the refurbishment, those who certified their suitability for use on high-rise residential buildings, the architect, Studio E, the principal contractor, Rydon Maintenance Ltd, and some of its sub-contractors, in particular, Harley Curtain Wall Ltd and its successor Harley Facades Ltd, some of the consultants, in particular the fire engineer, Exova Warringtonfire Ltd, the local authority’s building control department and the London Fire Brigade,”

Sir Martin went on to explain that while not all of them bear the same degree of
responsibility for the eventual disaster, “all contributed to it in one way or another, in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed.”

Panel member and architect Thouria Istephan, who spent nearly 30 years as an
architect before joining the Inquiry in 2020, said: “Our report identifies what we think is needed to make sure that the legacy of Grenfell is real and brings about lasting change.

“Our recommendations place new burdens and responsibilities on people and organisations. I make no apologies for that: put simply, if you work in the construction industry and you do not feel the weight of the responsibility you have for keeping people safe – you are in the wrong job.”

Former housing association chief executive Ali Akbor OBE, who joined the Inquiry as a Panel Member in 2020, said: ““I hope that our report acts as a reminder to the clients of future building projects – including social housing providers – that they have a responsibility to the users of their buildings to ensure that safety is not sacrificed to the demands of speed and cost.

Mr Akbor concluded: “We cannot in a few words here today do full justice to the totality of our report. What is needed is for those with responsibility for building safety – in my sector as in Thouria’s – to read the report, to reflect on it, and to treat Grenfell as a touchstone in all that they do in the future. To act with professionalism, with competence, and to put people first.”

Recommendations put forward by the Inquiry panel include:

● bringing responsibility for all aspects of fire safety under one government
Department;
● the appointment of a construction regulator to oversee all aspects of the
construction industry;
● the establishment of a body of professional fire engineers, properly regulated
and with protected status and the introduction of mandatory fire safety
strategies for higher-risk buildings;
● a licensing scheme for contractors wishing to undertake the construction or
refurbishment of higher-risk buildings;
● the regulation and mandatory accreditation of fire risk assessors;
● the establishment of a College of Fire and Rescue to provide practical,
educational and managerial training to fire and rescue services.the introduction of a requirement for the government to maintain a publicly accessible record of recommendations made by select committees, coroners and public inquiries, describing the steps taken in response or its reasons for declining to implement them.

The Panel expressed its gratitude to all those who had supported the Inquiry through giving evidence and providing statements to assist its investigations, in particular the bereaved, survivors and residents of Grenfell Tower.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry opened on 14 September 2017. During the course of its
investigations it disclosed over 300,000 documents to 646 Core Participants,
obtained over 1500 witness statements and sat for more than 300 days, most of
which were devoted to taking evidence from a wide range of factual and expert
witnesses.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement in the House of Commons on Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report:

Mr Speaker, this morning Sir Martin Moore-Bick published the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

And I am sure the whole House will join me in thanking him, the members of the Inquiry and his whole team for their dedicated work.

Mr Speaker, I want to speak directly to the bereaved families, the survivors, and those in the immediate Grenfell community…

Some of whom are with us in the gallery today. 

Sir Martin concluded this morning – I’m afraid there is no way of repeating this that won’t be painful – “the simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways”  by, as the report lays out in full, just about every institution responsible for ensuring their safety.

Mr Speaker, in the face of an injustice so painful. So deserving of anger

Words begin to lose their meaning. 

Seven years – still waiting

For the justice you deserve.

I want to say very clearly, on behalf of the country: you have been let down so badly before, during and in the aftermath of this tragedy. 

And while Sir Martin sets out a catalogue of appalling industry failures, for which there must now be full accountability, he also finds – and I quote – “decades of failure by central government.”

He concludes that “In the years between the fire at Knowsley Heights in 1991 and the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017 there were many opportunities for the government to identify the risks posed by the use of combustible cladding panels and insulation…

And he concludes – and I quote – “By 2016 the department was well aware of those risks, but failed to act on what it knew.”

Further, he finds that “The department itself was poorly run”  and “the government’s deregulatory agenda dominated the department’s thinking to such an extent that even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded”. 

So Mr Speaker, I want to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you and indeed to all the families affected by this tragedy. It should never have happened. 

The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty to protect you and your loved ones: the people we are here to serve. And I am deeply sorry.

I also want to express my admiration for the strength it must have taken to relive those events when giving your evidence to this Inquiry.

And indeed, to see written down today the circumstances that led to the deaths of your loved ones. 

After all you have been through, you may feel you are always just one step away from another betrayal. 

I get that – and I know I cannot change that with just words today. 

But what I can say is that I listened carefully to one of the members of the inquiry Ali Akbor who said this morning: “What is needed is for those with responsibility for building safety to reflect and to treat Grenfell as a touchstone in all that they do in the future.”

Mr Speaker, I consider myself responsible for building safety. And that is exactly what I will do. And what I will demand of this government.

Mr. Speaker, today is a long-awaited day of truth – but it must now lead to a day of justice. Justice for the victims and families of Grenfell. 

But also a moment to reflect on the state of social justice in our country and a chance for this Government of Service to turn the page. 

Because this tragedy poses fundamental questions about the kind of country we are.

A country where the voices of working class people and those of colour have been repeatedly ignored and dismissed. 

A country where tenants of a social housing block in one of the richest parts of the land are treated like second class citizens. 

Shamefully dismissed – in the words of one survivor – as people with needs and problems… Not respected as citizens, as people who contribute to Britain, who are part of Britain, who belong in Britain. 

And Mr Speaker, unbelievably this continued even after the tragedy.

Sir Martin highlights…and I quote – “Certain aspects of the response demonstrated a marked lack of respect for human decency and dignity and left many of those immediately affected feeling abandoned by authority and utterly helpless.”

Mr Speaker, that alone should make anyone who feels any affinity towards justice bristle with anger. But Sir Martin continues. He finds – and these are his words – “systematic dishonesty on the part of those who made and sold the rainscreen cladding panels and insulation products”

And he goes on to say: “They engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing process, misrepresent test data and mislead the market.” 

Sir Martin also cites – “A complete failure on the part of the Local Authority Building Control over a number of years to take basic steps to ensure that the certificates it issued were technically accurate.” 

He finds that the work of the Building Research Establishment “..was marred by unprofessional conduct, inadequate practices a lack of effective oversight, poor reporting and a lack of scientific rigour.”   And that the Tenant Management Organisation “must also bear a share of the blame”

Its only fire safety assessor “had misrepresented his experience and qualifications (some of which he had invented) and was ill-qualified to carry out fire risk assessments on buildings of the size and complexity of Grenfell Tower.” 

He also finds – “a chronic lack of effective management and leadership” on behalf of the London Fire Brigade” With tragic consequences on the night of the fire. 

Mr Speaker, in the light of such findings it is imperative that there is full accountability, including through the Criminal Justice process, and that this happens as swiftly as possible.

So I can tell the House today that this government will write to all companies found by the Inquiry to have been part of these horrific failings as the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts.

And, of course, we will support the Met Police and the prosecutors as they complete their investigations.

But, Mr Speaker, it is vital that as we respond to this report today we do not do or say anything that could compromise any future prosecution. 

Because the greatest injustice of all would be for the victims and all those affected not to get the justice they deserve.

Mr Speaker, there must also be much more radical action to stop something like this from ever happening again.  

Because one of the most extraordinary qualities of the Grenfell community is their determination to look forward.

They are not only fighting for justice for themselves, they are fighting to ensure no other community suffers as they have done. 

Mr Speaker, some important reforms have been made over the last seven years.

Reforms we supported in Opposition. 

Including banning combustible cladding.

New oversight of building control.

A new safety regime for all residential buildings over 18 metres.

New legal requirements on social landlords.

Making sure Fire and Rescue Services are trained and equipped to handle large scale incidents. including moving from “stay put” to “get out” when needed.

And we are now addressing the recommendation from Sir Martin’s first report: to introduce a new Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan policy for anyone whose ability to evacuate could be compromised and funding this for those renting in social housing.

Mr Speaker, we will look at all 58 of Sir Martin’s recommendations in detail.

There will be a debate on the floor of this House. 

We will respond in full to the Inquiry’s recommendations within six months.

And we will update Parliament annually on our progress against every commitment we make. 

But there are some things I can say right now. There are still buildings today with unsafe cladding. And the speed at which this is being addressed is far, far too slow. 

We only have to look at the fire in Dagenham last week. A building that was still in the process of having its cladding removed. So this must be a moment of change. 

We will take the necessary steps to speed this up. 

We are willing to force freeholders to assess their buildings and enter remediation schemes within set timetables with a legal requirement to force action if that is what it takes to tackle industry intransigence. 

And we will set out further steps on remediation this Autumn.

We will also reform the construction products industry that made this fatal cladding so homes are made of safe materials and those who compromise that safety will face the consequences. 

We will ensure that tenants and their leaseholders can never again be ignored. And that Social landlords are held to account for the decency and safety of their homes.

And as this government tackles the most acute housing crisis in living memory, building one and a half million new homes across the country, we will ensure these homes are safe, secure, and built to the highest standards. 

Places of security, health and wellbeing that serve the needs of residents and their wider communities. Because a safe and decent home is a human right and a basic expectation and the provision of that right, should never be undermined by the reckless pursuit of greed. 

One of the tragedies of Grenfell is that this was – and is – a community that nurtured so much of what we want from housing.

People who had made the Tower their home. And were entitled to a place of safety and security not a death-trap. And yet time and again they were ignored.

Mr Speaker, two weeks ago I made a private visit to Grenfell Tower. I laid a wreath at the Memorial Wall and affirmed the government’s commitment to the work of the Memorial Commission. Delivering a permanent memorial on the site through a process led by the Grenfell community.

As I walked down that narrow staircase from the 23rd floor and looked at walls burned by 1000-degree heat I got just a sense of how utterly, utterly terrifying it must have been.

And as I saw examples of the cladding on the outside of the building, and listened to descriptions of the catastrophic and completely avoidable failures of that fatal refurbishment.

I felt just a sense of the anger that now rises through that building. And it left me a with a profound and very personal determination. To make the legacy of Grenfell Tower one of the defining changes to our country that I want to make as Prime Minister.

To the families, the survivors, and the immediate community We will support you now and always, especially those who were children. In the memory of your loved ones we will deliver a generational shift in the safety and quality of housing for everyone in this country.

And in the memory of Grenfell, we will change our country. Not just a change in policy and regulation – although that must of course take place – but a profound shift in culture and behaviour.

A rebalancing of power that gives voice and respect to every citizen, whoever they are, wherever they live.

And Mr Speaker, we will bring the full power of government to bear on this task.

Because that is the responsibility of service. 

And the duty we owe to the memory of every single one of the 72.

And in that spirit, I commend this statement to the House.

A STATEMENT FROM THE METROPOLITAN POLICE:

GRENFELL UNITED CAMPAIGNERS SAID:

FOR THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO DIED AND A COMMUNITY THAT WAS IGNORED FOR FAR TOO LONG, LET’S HOPE THIS REPORT IS JUST THE BEGINNING IN THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. THIS STORY IS FAR FROM OVER.

= more to follow =