Government yet to take Grenfell action, says report

Sadiq Khan has published a report which shows that the majority of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations directed at London Fire Brigade have now been completed.

The Mayor of London and London Fire Brigade accepted all the Grenfell Tower inquiry Phase 1 report’s recommendations published in October 2019, and LFB has now completed 26 out of the 29 recommendations directed specifically at the fire and rescue service, and is working to implement the remaining three recommendations as quickly as possible.

Change made include introducing smoke hoods to aid in the rescue of people in smoke-filled environments, introducing 32m and 64m ladders to help tackle fires in high-rise buildings, and rolling out an extensive programme of training in order to put in place changes for how the Brigade responds to high-rise fires.

The Brigade and the Mayor of London are participating in Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which is examining wider issues, including how the building came to be in an unsafe condition.

Khan’s latest update report detailing the action taken comes as the government has so far failed to complete any of the recommendations aimed at them from the first phase of the Inquiry. The Phase 1 report included 12 recommendations aimed primarily at the government and, to date, none of these have been completed, or has a date for when they will be completed been established.

Khan said: “The Grenfell Tower fire was an appalling tragedy and we will always remember the 72 people who lost their lives. We owe it to the people who died, their loved ones and those who survived to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.

“That is why, since the fire, I have been relentless in doing everything I can to ensure the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry are implemented. The London Fire Brigade has made significant changes and demonstrated their commitment to putting in place the recommendations as swiftly as possible.

“However, I am extremely concerned the government has failed to complete a single recommendation from the first phase of the Inquiry. It is vital that the Government and the housing and building industries act now and do not wait for the Inquiry’s next report to take action on such an important issue. Without faster action, the government is failing the Grenfell community, putting lives at risk and leaving residents feeling unsafe in their homes. The government, housing and building industries must not wait to implement the wholesale reforms that are needed to fix a broken system.”