Government responds in full to Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel’s final report

Under the proposals, industry will be held to account for failure, with new regulatory measures introduced to prevent a tragedy like that which unfolded at Grenfell Tower in London’s North Kensington in June 2017 from ever happening again. The Government’s stated intention is to “drive a sweeping transformation” that will “enhance building and fire safety standards”.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner stated: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy claimed 72 innocent lives in a disaster that should never have happened. The final report from the Inquiry Panel exposes in stark and devastating detail the shocking industry behaviour and wider failures that led to the fire as well as the deep injustices endured by the bereaved, survivors and residents.”

Rayner continued: “We are acting on all of the Inquiry Panel’s findings. In setting out our full response, we’re detailing the tough action we are taking to drive change and reform the system in order to ensure that no community will ever have to face a tragedy like Grenfell ever again.”   

Further, Rayner noted: “That means greater accountability, stronger regulation and putting residents at the heart of decision-making. We must deliver the fundamental change required. We owe that to the Grenfell community, to the country and to the memory of those who lost their lives.”

Planned reforms

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel’s final report exposed a system that ignored safety risks and failed to listen to residents. The report lays bare “systemic dishonesty” in the industry, failures in the construction sector and by successive Governments and poor regulation in the run-up to the disaster.

The Government has apologised on behalf of the British state for its part in these failings and introduced significant changes designed to fix the worst issues exposed by the tragedy.

Planned reforms include:

*a new single construction regulator to ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account

*tougher oversight of those responsible for testing and certifying, manufacturing and using construction products with serious consequences for those who break the rules 

*a legal duty of candour through a new Hillsborough Law compelling public authorities to disclose the truth, ensuring transparency in major incidents and holding those responsible for failures to account  

*stronger, clearer and enforceable legal rights for residents, making landlords responsible for acting on safety concerns 

*empowering social housing residents to challenge landlords and demand safe and high-quality housing by expanding the Four Million Homes training programme

*making it easier for tenants to report safety concerns and secure landlord action by taking forward the Make Things Right campaign 

*ensuring lasting transparency and accountability by creating a publicly accessible record of all Public Inquiry recommendations   

Alex Norris (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) commented: “The Grenfell Tower fire was a preventable tragedy and the failings it exposed demanded fundamental change. Our response to the Inquiry Panel’s findings sets out a comprehensive plan to reform the construction sector, strengthen oversight and make sure that residents are the priority when deciding on building safety issues. We will continue working closely with industry, local authorities and the Grenfell community in order to make sure these reforms deliver real and lasting change and rebuild trust.”

Supplier accountability

The Government has also set out the next steps of its review designed to identify where the Inquiry Panel’s report found failings by specific named organisations in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire. 
New powers under the Procurement Act will be used to investigate seven of the organisations criticised in the report. If certain grounds are met, their names will be added to a published debarment list, which must then be taken into account by contracting authorities when awarding new contracts.

The Government remains fully committed to supporting the bereaved families, survivors and residents of the Grenfell community in the long-term, as well as working with the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission to ensure a fitting and lasting memorial determined by the community. This will serve as a permanent tribute to honour those lives lost and those whose lives have been changed forever by the tragedy.

The Labour Party’s planned transformation is not only about fixing the failures of the past, but also about ensuring a safer future for generations to come. The highest safety standards will be embedded into the 1.5 million homes the Government is committed to delivering during this Parliament, ensuring that every new home meets robust safety requirements.  

The Government’s response to the Phase 2 final report makes clear there is still much more to do and there’s a stated commitment to taking “decisive action” in response to every recommendation made by the Inquiry Panel.

Stigma of social housing

Florence Eshalomi, chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee in Parliament, said: “I welcome the Government’s announcement that it accepts the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel’s final report and will take forward its recommendations.”

Eshalomi continued: “The tragedy at Grenfell Tower exposed numerous systematic failings in a wide range of areas, in building and product standards and testing, in fire safety and within central Government and at local authority level, all of which must be addressed. Grenfell also highlighted the underlying issue of the stigma faced by those living in social housing, where their concerns were too often cruelly neglected and ignored. This culture must change. The Government should set out what it will do to ensure that social housing tenants are dealt with respectfully and their complaints answered.”

Further, Eshalomi noted: “It should not be forgotten that many of the victims of the fire at Grenfell Tower were disabled people. To help ensure such a tragedy is never repeated, it’s vitally important the Government addresses the issue of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for disabled residents. The Government needs to set out how residential PEEPs will be made enforceable and how they will ensure disabled people in the private rented sector have the same access to PEEPs as those in the social housing space.”

In addition, Eshalomi stated: “The Government’s announcement that it will create a single construction regulator and a chief construction advisor is welcome. The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee looks forward to examining the detail of the Government’s plans later on this year.”

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee will be holding a short inquiry to undertake an initial examination of the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel’s recommendations and also to explore progress on the wider programme of work around building and fire safety and remediation.