By Aniesha Obuobie, Grenfell Project Coordinator
After nearly eight years, this February, the Government responded to the damning final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report which set out the chain of government and private sector failures that culminated in the notorious fire.
The Government accepted the findings of the report and outlined actions to be taken in relation to the 58 recommendations made. Of the 58 recommendations, they accepted 49 in full, relating to areas including fire safety, regulation of the construction industry and emergency response. However, concerningly, the remaining 9 recommendations which were all directed at the Government were only accepted ‘in principle’.
One of these focusses on making it a legal requirement for the Government to maintain a publicly accessible record of recommendations made by select committees, coroners and public inquiries, with a description of the actions taken in response and an explanation given for when a recommendation is not accepted.
Instead, the Government have said they will:
- Establish a record of all recommendations made by public inquiries since 2024.
- Update Parliament on progress for implementing inquiry recommendations.
- Establish a new Parliamentary committee to scrutinise the Government’s response to inquiry recommendations.
On paper, this sounds like an improvement and a commitment to better monitor the implementation of recommendations. But what will happen if a recommendation is accepted, and after several years no action has been taken?
We have already seen this happen with the failure to prioritise plans for the safe evacuation of residents with mobility issues in the event of a fire. Since 2019, when the recommendation for Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) was published in the Inquiry’s Phase One report, bereaved families, survivors and campaign groups including Claddag and End our Cladding Scandal have been challenging the Government to take action.
In December 2024, the Government announced that they would bring forward legislation for what they are calling ‘Residential PEEPs’ in 2025. Their response to the final inquiry report, sets out that funding has been committed for 2025 to 2026 to begin the work to support social housing providers to deliver Residential PEEPs. However, there continues to be a lack of clarity around the timeline for completion, meaning residents living in the thousands of affected buildings across the country who cannot self-evacuate remain at risk in the event of a fire.
The Government’s response does not go far enough to address the accountability gap that allows for important recommendations to slip through the cracks with no one held responsible.
To achieve the ‘lasting transparency and accountability’ that the Government have promised, there needs to be proper oversight to ensure that life-saving recommendations do not continue to fall by the wayside.
Alongside over 70 organisations, including Grenfell United, Justice4Grenfell and End our Cladding Scandal, INQUEST is calling for the Government to establish a National Oversight Mechanism to ensure that recommendations like these are followed up on and actioned.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry must bring about meaningful change, but this requires the Government to act boldly and urgently to prevent future deaths.
What can you do to help? Carla Denyer MP has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM), essentially a petition for MPs to sign, which will raise awareness of the need for a National Oversight Mechanism. The EDM is also a way to publicly display the cross-party support that the campaign has.
The Governments Response To The Final Grenfell Report Leaves Space For Doubt
By Aniesha Obuobie, Grenfell Project Coordinator
After nearly eight years, this February, the Government responded to the damning final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report which set out the chain of government and private sector failures that culminated in the notorious fire.
The Government accepted the findings of the report and outlined actions to be taken in relation to the 58 recommendations made. Of the 58 recommendations, they accepted 49 in full, relating to areas including fire safety, regulation of the construction industry and emergency response. However, concerningly, the remaining 9 recommendations which were all directed at the Government were only accepted ‘in principle’.
One of these focusses on making it a legal requirement for the Government to maintain a publicly accessible record of recommendations made by select committees, coroners and public inquiries, with a description of the actions taken in response and an explanation given for when a recommendation is not accepted.
Instead, the Government have said they will:
On paper, this sounds like an improvement and a commitment to better monitor the implementation of recommendations. But what will happen if a recommendation is accepted, and after several years no action has been taken?
We have already seen this happen with the failure to prioritise plans for the safe evacuation of residents with mobility issues in the event of a fire. Since 2019, when the recommendation for Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) was published in the Inquiry’s Phase One report, bereaved families, survivors and campaign groups including Claddag and End our Cladding Scandal have been challenging the Government to take action.
In December 2024, the Government announced that they would bring forward legislation for what they are calling ‘Residential PEEPs’ in 2025. Their response to the final inquiry report, sets out that funding has been committed for 2025 to 2026 to begin the work to support social housing providers to deliver Residential PEEPs. However, there continues to be a lack of clarity around the timeline for completion, meaning residents living in the thousands of affected buildings across the country who cannot self-evacuate remain at risk in the event of a fire.
The Government’s response does not go far enough to address the accountability gap that allows for important recommendations to slip through the cracks with no one held responsible.
To achieve the ‘lasting transparency and accountability’ that the Government have promised, there needs to be proper oversight to ensure that life-saving recommendations do not continue to fall by the wayside.
Alongside over 70 organisations, including Grenfell United, Justice4Grenfell and End our Cladding Scandal, INQUEST is calling for the Government to establish a National Oversight Mechanism to ensure that recommendations like these are followed up on and actioned.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry must bring about meaningful change, but this requires the Government to act boldly and urgently to prevent future deaths.
What can you do to help?
Carla Denyer MP has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM), essentially a petition for MPs to sign, which will raise awareness of the need for a National Oversight Mechanism. The EDM is also a way to publicly display the cross-party support that the campaign has.
We need you to write to your MP using our letter templateâ¯to urge them to sign the motion.
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