Latest news with #GrenfellInquiry
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Survivors and bereaved gather for Grenfell service
Grenfell Tower survivors, and the families of those who lost their lives, have attended a memorial service on the eighth anniversary of the 2017 tragedy. A total of 72 people, including 18 children, died in the fire, which is still being investigated by the Metropolitan Police. In a few months' time, work will begin to take down the 23-storey block. About 200 people gathered at All Saints Church in Notting Hill, west London, for the Humanity For Grenfell annual service. Ahead of the service, flowers were laid at the foot of the tower by officials including minister for building safety, Alex Norris MP, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan and London Fire Brigade (LFB) Commissioner Andy Roe. Former LFB firefighter Stephen Aslin, 58, also began a 30,000-mile cycling challenge and was cheered on by well-wishers and family. Before setting off, he led a 72-second silence to remember the victims of the fire. His solo bike ride around the world will help raise money for projects helping young people affected by the tragedy. Eighteen doves and 56 balloons were released after the service. They each represented a life lost in the tower. Final Grenfell anniversary before tower comes down 'Keep Grenfell in your hearts during carnival' Grenfell testimony week: From unheard to heard During the service, a candle was lit in honour of each victim and prayers were led by Rev Paul Wood. "We pray for all of those who seek to serve the community, for all those who seek justice," he said. "We pray for all those across the world who are in pain, for those who are suffering in the Holy Land, in Ukraine and all places of war and those caught in the Air India disaster this week." Among the congregation, there remained a feeling of anger that justice had not yet been done. The Met has previously said no charges would be announced until the end of 2026. Mr Roe said Grenfell should never be forgotten. In a statement, the commissioner said: "As we mark the eighth anniversary of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the 72 people who lost their lives, as well as the survivors, their families and the wider community. "Over the years, the strength and dignity shown by the Grenfell community has been, and continues to be, humbling and inspiring." Sir Sadiq said: "Today we pause to remember the 72 people who lost their lives, and all those whose lives were changed forever by the horrific Grenfell Tower fire. "Eight years on and the road to justice and change has been far too long. "The publication of the final Grenfell Inquiry report last year was an important step towards correcting the catastrophic failures exposed by the tragedy, and all those responsible have more to do to ensure all lessons are learned. "Every Londoner deserves to live in a safe home, something that Grenfell Tower residents were cruelly deprived of." Saturday's events will culminate in a silent walk at Notting Hill Methodist Church at 18:00 BST. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Seven organisations to be investigated over Grenfell fire Grenfell Report: Key findings from the inquiry Grenfell's 'path to disaster' that led to 72 deaths
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Repeat of Grenfell fire warning issued as ministers 'left marking own homework'
MPs said it is 'completely unacceptable' that survivors and bereaved families of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster 'are still awaiting justice for that terrible day' Ministers must not be 'left marking their own homework' over the Grenfell Tower tragedy, MPs have warned. The Commons' housing committee has written to Housing Secretary and Deputy PM Angela Rayner calling for an independent body to be introduced to oversee the Government's response to public inquiries. In their letter, MPs said it is 'completely unacceptable' that survivors and bereaved families of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster 'are still awaiting justice for that terrible day'. They welcomed the Government's decision to accept the recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry's final report but said there must be an independent mechanism to hold it to account for implementing them. It warned there are 'significant risks of these recommendations not being implemented effectively if independent oversight is lacking'. READ MORE: Sadiq Khan urged to block high rise building that skirts Grenfell building rule by 30cm The committee called for a national oversight mechanism to be included in the upcoming Hillsborough Bill. It demanded a new system be in place before the tenth anniversary of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire on June 14, 2027. The letter said an oversight mechanism will "reduce the risk future governments repeating the catastrophic mistakes which have historically led to state-related deaths, from Hillsborough, to the infected blood scandal, to the Grenfell Tower fire itself'. Campaigners on a range of scandals, including the Grenfell fire and infected blood victims, have previously called for a national oversight mechanism - an independent public body - to be put in place, responsible for collating, analysing and following up on recommendations from public inquiries. They have argued that, without such a body in place, governments can delay the implementation of, or even ignore entirely, recommendations from public inquiries. Elsewhere, the letter raised fire safety concerns in care homes after London's Fire Commissioner Andy Roe told the committee earlier this year that it 'keeps me awake at night'. MPs called on the Government to 'urgently review' its decision to mandate sprinklers in new care homes, but not existing ones. Florence Eshalomi, the committee's chair, said: 'How can the loved ones of the Grenfell victims be asked to trust the Government to mark their own homework when they have spent nearly eight years fighting for answers as to why people were denied the most basic level of safety?' She continued: 'The Grenfell fire highlighted the toxic stigma too often faced by those living in social housing, where resident concerns were cruelly dismissed, neglected and ignored. 'As a Committee, we are determined to shine a light on this issue and to hold the Government to account for their role in addressing the systematic failings in building safety, product standards and testing, and fire safety exposed by the tragedy at Grenfell. Never again must people be left without such basic levels of safety in their own home.' A Government spokesperson said: "The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. We are acting on all of the Inquiry's findings, working closely with industry, local authorities and the bereaved, survivors and residents, and have committed to updating on progress regularly. "We have also committed to introducing a more robust system to improve the transparency, accessibility and scrutiny of inquiry recommendations received by government."
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Expert warns against quick-fix online fire safety training years after Grenfell
The chairwoman of a group reviewing building control in England in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze has vowed she is determined to bring about a 'culture change', as she warned against 'dubious' online training courses on fire safety. Dame Judith Hackitt criticised 'quick fixes' which she said will not work towards rebuilding public confidence in an industry which has been heavily criticised since Grenfell, and urged businesses to see proper training as an investment rather than a cost. She will chair the first formal meeting of the Building Control Independent Panel this month, set up to look at whether changes are needed to the current system across England. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry found an issue with building control bodies tending to co-operate with companies who wanted their proposals to be approved, instead of enforcing building regulations 'rigorously'. The inquiry recommended an independent panel look at whether it is in the public interest for building control functions to be performed by those with a commercial interest in the process, or whether all such functions should be carried out by a national authority. The panel is due to present a report to the Government in autumn and Dame Judith suggested it will be as 'hard-hitting' as her 2018 one. That report identified 'deep flaws' within the building regulations system, as she argued ignorance and indifference had created a 'race to the bottom', where there was a desire to do things 'as quickly and cheaply as possible rather than to deliver quality homes which are safe for people to live in'. Asked what might be expected from her report this year, Dame Judith told the PA news agency: 'I think my track record speaks for itself, doesn't it? I'm unlikely to change my approach. 'I was honest and hard-hitting in my report seven years ago. I've continued to keep the pressure on government and on industry for the last seven years. I see no reason to change. 'I am determined to drive through this culture change that is needed across the whole of the built environment.' Next month will see bereaved and survivors mark eight years since the fire in west London in June 2017, which resulted in 72 people losing their lives. Asked what her message is to the many who say they have still not seen justice delivered or enough wholesale change in the system so many years on, Dame Judith said: 'I share their frustration that it's taking so long, but that's no reason to give up. 'We will get there. We will drive this change. We owe it to the people who lost their lives to do that.' Dame Judith said she is 'absolutely confident that things are better now than they were in 2017' after building control came under the Building Safety Regulator which launched in 2023. She added: 'We have moved from where we were. Is that enough? Is there more we need to do? 'I'm not going to speculate until we have looked at the evidence, but we will do that at pace, and we will deliver our report before the end of the year.' Dame Judith urged 'more people to take personal responsibility and leadership in different parts of this built environment sector' after recently visiting a fire door safety centre which she praised for its efforts. She said businesses must understand that proper training is essential as 'money spent on cheap training and substandard training is money wasted'. Dame Judith added: 'Spending it on this sort of training is an investment in your people. It's not a cost.' She praised Fire Door Maintenance Training and Development, which describes itself as the largest such practical training centre in the UK, saying she saw a 'real sense of purpose' in the people training there. Dame Judith said that despite the sector-wide knowledge of the need for thorough training in aspects such as ensuring fire doors are properly maintained, the take-up of such training has been 'very mixed, very variable, and some of the training courses that have sprung up, I think, are of dubious quality to say the least, particularly online ones'. She referenced one-hour online video training which might promise someone competency once they had completed it but added: 'That's not the case.' Dame Judith added: 'Let's be clear, there's a place for online training and familiarisation. 'But to get people to the level of competence that they need to be on things that are safety critical, like fire doors, that practical training with someone assessing whether you are doing the job properly and are competent to do the job properly, is crucial. 'We're trying to rebuild public confidence here in an industry, and quick fixes aren't going to do it. 'You know, a quick training session online in many cases, is just not enough.' She highlighted Fire Door Maintenance as 'what good looks like' in an industry where many others have been slow to act and change. Nicola John, managing director at the firm which sees people training in realistic settings with doors and corridors, said they wanted to offer a 'practical training facility for practical people doing a practical job' in contrast to online courses alone. Ms John added: 'The issue that we have is that it's not currently mandated, so we only attract the people who have the same mindset currently.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Expert warns against quick-fix online fire safety training years after Grenfell
The chairwoman of a group reviewing building control in England in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze has vowed she is determined to bring about a 'culture change', as she warned against 'dubious' online training courses on fire safety. Dame Judith Hackitt criticised 'quick fixes' which she said will not work towards rebuilding public confidence in an industry which has been heavily criticised since Grenfell, and urged businesses to see proper training as an investment rather than a cost. She will chair the first formal meeting of the Building Control Independent Panel this month, set up to look at whether changes are needed to the current system across England. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry found an issue with building control bodies tending to co-operate with companies who wanted their proposals to be approved, instead of enforcing building regulations 'rigorously'. The inquiry recommended an independent panel look at whether it is in the public interest for building control functions to be performed by those with a commercial interest in the process, or whether all such functions should be carried out by a national authority. The panel is due to present a report to the Government in autumn and Dame Judith suggested it will be as 'hard-hitting' as her 2018 one. That report identified 'deep flaws' within the building regulations system, as she argued ignorance and indifference had created a 'race to the bottom', where there was a desire to do things 'as quickly and cheaply as possible rather than to deliver quality homes which are safe for people to live in'. Asked what might be expected from her report this year, Dame Judith told the PA news agency: 'I think my track record speaks for itself, doesn't it? I'm unlikely to change my approach. 'I was honest and hard-hitting in my report seven years ago. I've continued to keep the pressure on government and on industry for the last seven years. I see no reason to change. 'I am determined to drive through this culture change that is needed across the whole of the built environment.' Next month will see bereaved and survivors mark eight years since the fire in west London in June 2017, which resulted in 72 people losing their lives. Asked what her message is to the many who say they have still not seen justice delivered or enough wholesale change in the system so many years on, Dame Judith said: 'I share their frustration that it's taking so long, but that's no reason to give up. 'We will get there. We will drive this change. We owe it to the people who lost their lives to do that.' Dame Judith said she is 'absolutely confident that things are better now than they were in 2017' after building control came under the Building Safety Regulator which launched in 2023. She added: 'We have moved from where we were. Is that enough? Is there more we need to do? 'I'm not going to speculate until we have looked at the evidence, but we will do that at pace, and we will deliver our report before the end of the year.' Dame Judith urged 'more people to take personal responsibility and leadership in different parts of this built environment sector' after recently visiting a fire door safety centre which she praised for its efforts. She said businesses must understand that proper training is essential as 'money spent on cheap training and substandard training is money wasted'. Dame Judith added: 'Spending it on this sort of training is an investment in your people. It's not a cost.' She praised Fire Door Maintenance Training and Development, which describes itself as the largest such practical training centre in the UK, saying she saw a 'real sense of purpose' in the people training there. Dame Judith said that despite the sector-wide knowledge of the need for thorough training in aspects such as ensuring fire doors are properly maintained, the take-up of such training has been 'very mixed, very variable, and some of the training courses that have sprung up, I think, are of dubious quality to say the least, particularly online ones'. She referenced one-hour online video training which might promise someone competency once they had completed it but added: 'That's not the case.' Dame Judith added: 'Let's be clear, there's a place for online training and familiarisation. 'But to get people to the level of competence that they need to be on things that are safety critical, like fire doors, that practical training with someone assessing whether you are doing the job properly and are competent to do the job properly, is crucial. 'We're trying to rebuild public confidence here in an industry, and quick fixes aren't going to do it. 'You know, a quick training session online in many cases, is just not enough.' She highlighted Fire Door Maintenance as 'what good looks like' in an industry where many others have been slow to act and change. Nicola John, managing director at the firm which sees people training in realistic settings with doors and corridors, said they wanted to offer a 'practical training facility for practical people doing a practical job' in contrast to online courses alone. Ms John added: 'The issue that we have is that it's not currently mandated, so we only attract the people who have the same mindset currently.'
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ministers making 'painfully slow' cladding progress
The Scottish government has been accused of making "painfully slow" progress on removing unsafe cladding from buildings. It came as ministers announced plans to speed up efforts to inspect and repair buildings in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster. Housing Minister Paul McLennan announced that people with concerns about unsafe cladding would be able to apply to a £10m fund to have their building assessed. But opposition MSPs criticised the government for failing to confirm a date when the work would be completed. McLennan also defended the government's housebuilding record after it was announced the number of new homes built in Scotland last year slumped to less than 20,000, with completions by the social sector down by almost a quarter. Scottish ministers given new powers to tackle cladding Cladding: 'We felt trapped in a flat worth zero' A cladding remediation programme was set up in the aftermath of the Grenfell tower block disaster in London, which claimed 72 lives. However, ministers have been criticised for its slow progress. As of November 2024 there were 107 entries on the programme – which can be either individual buildings or multiple properties in a development. The government said in September that work had not been completed on any of the buildings, with work having started on just five. UK government statistics for England showed that, as of September last year, remediation work on unsafe cladding had been started or completed on half of about 5,000 identified buildings, with work completed on almost a third (29%) of them. In a statement to parliament, McLennan announced a "renewed plan of action" on cladding remediation alongside as the government published its response to the second phase of the Grenfell Inquiry. He said the £10m fund would be open to properties owned by local authorities, registered social landlords and privately individuals. "This investment is designed to reduce risk and the broadest range of properties as quick as possible," the minister said. MSPs unanimously passed the Housing Cladding Remediation Bill in May last year in a bid to speed up the process. It gave ministers the power to assess and carry out remediation on buildings with unsafe cladding - with any work then recorded in a special register. But as of last year it was reported that only £9m out of £97m received from Westminster via Barnett consequentials to deal with the issue had been spent. McLennan did not provide an update on the work done on the 107 earmarked properties, or how much of the UK government money had been spent. Scottish Conservative housing spokesperson Meghan Gallacher said progress had been "painfully slow" in the eight years since the Grenfell disaster. She said Scotland was "miles behind" the UK government in removing unsafe cladding south of the border, describing the announcement as a "kick in the teeth" to concerned residents. Speaking after the statement, the MSP said: "Despite receiving nearly £100m from the UK government to fix the problem, work has only begun on five of 107 affected properties and Paul McLennan clearly has no clue when that work will be completed." Labour housing spokesperson Mark Griffin said: "We're in a remarkable position where we've had more ministerial statements on cladding than we've had buildings remediated." The Grenfell announcement came after the government faced criticism over the latest housebuilding figures. Although SNP ministers declared a housing emergency in 2024, new figures show the number of homes built that year fell by 7% to 19,797. The number of properties started dropped further, falling 9% from the 2023 total to 15,050. Private housebuilders completed 15,066 new homes and started construction work on 11,617 – down 12%. That meant 2024 had the lowest number of new homes started by private builders than any year since 2013 - with the exception of 2020, when the Covid pandemic impacted building works. Social housing providers - such as councils and housing associations - built 4,731 homes in 2024 and started work on 3,433 properties. While the number of properties started was up by 2% from 2023 the number of completions was down by 22%, and was the lowest since 2017. The Scottish government has set the target of delivering 110,000 homes for affordable rent or purchase by 2032. The data showed that by the end of December, 26,039 homes had been completed – meaning about 84,000 homes will have to be built by 2032 if the government is to achieve its target. The Tories said ministers were "asleep at the wheel", while Labour accused them of "reckless incompetence". McLennan said the government had a "strong track record" of building affordable housing. He said that from 2007 - the year the SNP came to power - to 2024 more than 136,000 affordable homes had been delivered, including 97,000 for social rent. The minister added that, as of March last year, that was 47% more affordable homes per head of population than England and 73% more than Wales. Plan to make landlords fix mould in social housing Record number of children in temporary housing
