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| The Grenfell families have made us safer. The inquiry must listen to them | The Grenfell families have made us safer. The inquiry must listen to them |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Almost 16 months after the fire at Grenfell Tower that killed 72 people, bereaved families and survivors on Monday secured an important first step toward making homes safer across the country. The ban on combustible materials will bring the rest of the UK into line with Scotland and the EU, allowing only A1 or A2 “limited combustibility” materials on the external walls of residential buildings 18 metres or more tall. | Almost 16 months after the fire at Grenfell Tower that killed 72 people, bereaved families and survivors on Monday secured an important first step toward making homes safer across the country. The ban on combustible materials will bring the rest of the UK into line with Scotland and the EU, allowing only A1 or A2 “limited combustibility” materials on the external walls of residential buildings 18 metres or more tall. |
| The move has been greeted with a guarded welcome from families, who are waiting for more detail. There is little doubt that their campaign has brought about the change. Earlier in the year, the government was set to approve the use of desktop studies to clear materials used on high-rise buildings. The consultation on combustibles was announced the same day as a public outcry over the Hackitt review, which reported back in May. The Grenfell Tower inquiry is yet to make any interim recommendations, and does not yet appear to have appointed a cladding expert. | The move has been greeted with a guarded welcome from families, who are waiting for more detail. There is little doubt that their campaign has brought about the change. Earlier in the year, the government was set to approve the use of desktop studies to clear materials used on high-rise buildings. The consultation on combustibles was announced the same day as a public outcry over the Hackitt review, which reported back in May. The Grenfell Tower inquiry is yet to make any interim recommendations, and does not yet appear to have appointed a cladding expert. |
| How government implements this ban, particularly around the use of desktop studies and exemptions, will be important. For some, it may not go far enough. This is an industry that demonstrably cannot self-regulate when it comes to safety. Even now, contractors at the inquiry have been criticised for being disingenuous. | How government implements this ban, particularly around the use of desktop studies and exemptions, will be important. For some, it may not go far enough. This is an industry that demonstrably cannot self-regulate when it comes to safety. Even now, contractors at the inquiry have been criticised for being disingenuous. |
| Anyone who has watched videos of the speed and spread of the fire across the north-east face of Grenfell Tower will understand why this ban is important. Between 12.56am and 1.20am on 14 June 2017, fire zipped up the side of Grenfell Tower. It then moved horizontally through a “crown” of combustible material. It spread downwards and diagonally across the building and back inside through open windows. Jets were trained on the external fire, but they “bounced off”. One firefighter described the flames as spitting “like magnesium”. This was a fire of petroleum-based, highly flammable products, combustible at a low temperature, piled one on top of another in the damp-proof course, the cavity infill, the insulation, the windows, and the cladding cassettes. | Anyone who has watched videos of the speed and spread of the fire across the north-east face of Grenfell Tower will understand why this ban is important. Between 12.56am and 1.20am on 14 June 2017, fire zipped up the side of Grenfell Tower. It then moved horizontally through a “crown” of combustible material. It spread downwards and diagonally across the building and back inside through open windows. Jets were trained on the external fire, but they “bounced off”. One firefighter described the flames as spitting “like magnesium”. This was a fire of petroleum-based, highly flammable products, combustible at a low temperature, piled one on top of another in the damp-proof course, the cavity infill, the insulation, the windows, and the cladding cassettes. |
| On Tuesday, the inquiry wrapped up evidence from the London fire brigade (LFB) before moving to hear testimony from the bereaved and survivors. This morning, they heard that the LFB’s operational database contained no plan of Grenfell Tower to aid firefighting tactics. Last week, they were met by a surprising display of institutional defensiveness from Dany Cotton, the LFB commissioner. Families listened in shock as Cotton told the inquiry she had no knowledge of serious international cladding fires before Grenfell. The LFB did not plan for a fire the size of Grenfell, or devise training for staff based on that possibility, she said, “in the same way as I would never design a training package for a space shuttle to land on the Shard”. | On Tuesday, the inquiry wrapped up evidence from the London fire brigade (LFB) before moving to hear testimony from the bereaved and survivors. This morning, they heard that the LFB’s operational database contained no plan of Grenfell Tower to aid firefighting tactics. Last week, they were met by a surprising display of institutional defensiveness from Dany Cotton, the LFB commissioner. Families listened in shock as Cotton told the inquiry she had no knowledge of serious international cladding fires before Grenfell. The LFB did not plan for a fire the size of Grenfell, or devise training for staff based on that possibility, she said, “in the same way as I would never design a training package for a space shuttle to land on the Shard”. |
| Shown evidence of warnings – an internal presentation for fire brigade engineers on the threat from “tall building facades” dated July 2016; a letter from the LFB to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) warning them of the risks from external facades after the Shepherd’s Court fire – Cotton accepted that the risk was on LFB’s radar nine months before the fire at Grenfell Tower. “I truly do not think it would have benefited anyone to have more detailed knowledge about cladding to respond to Grenfell, because it wouldn’t have enabled them to extinguish the fire,” she said. | Shown evidence of warnings – an internal presentation for fire brigade engineers on the threat from “tall building facades” dated July 2016; a letter from the LFB to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) warning them of the risks from external facades after the Shepherd’s Court fire – Cotton accepted that the risk was on LFB’s radar nine months before the fire at Grenfell Tower. “I truly do not think it would have benefited anyone to have more detailed knowledge about cladding to respond to Grenfell, because it wouldn’t have enabled them to extinguish the fire,” she said. |
| “To hear Dany Cotton say that she would not have done anything differently is heartbreaking and feels disrespectful to 72 people who lost their lives,” said Natasha Elcock of Grenfell United. “There were warnings from many previous high-rise fires with cladding on them. The risks should have been taken seriously. To not prepare for a repeat of Lakanal House and say chances are like a space ship on the Shard is flippant and disrespectful. If anything, her answers suggest a culture of complacency and focus on damage limitation.” | “To hear Dany Cotton say that she would not have done anything differently is heartbreaking and feels disrespectful to 72 people who lost their lives,” said Natasha Elcock of Grenfell United. “There were warnings from many previous high-rise fires with cladding on them. The risks should have been taken seriously. To not prepare for a repeat of Lakanal House and say chances are like a space ship on the Shard is flippant and disrespectful. If anything, her answers suggest a culture of complacency and focus on damage limitation.” |
| The fire brigade did not wrap the building in combustible material. Firefighters will live with that night for the rest of their lives, and many are deeply traumatized. Over the past three months, the inquiry has repeatedly heard how firefighters risked their own lives to save others. It has heard of the building failures; the cladding; the unprecedented nature of the fire; but also of communications systems that did not work; failed rescue attempts; slips of paper carried by runners; residents saved by the quick thinking of officers who provided additional breathing sets (not in LFB policy); residents moved by firefighters from one flat to another and told that someone would come for them. It has heard that firefighters were not trained on cladding fires or evacuations, or on the reversal of stay put. It has heard of one officer, Norman Harrison, who told his bosses that stay put should be reversed, but was ignored. | The fire brigade did not wrap the building in combustible material. Firefighters will live with that night for the rest of their lives, and many are deeply traumatized. Over the past three months, the inquiry has repeatedly heard how firefighters risked their own lives to save others. It has heard of the building failures; the cladding; the unprecedented nature of the fire; but also of communications systems that did not work; failed rescue attempts; slips of paper carried by runners; residents saved by the quick thinking of officers who provided additional breathing sets (not in LFB policy); residents moved by firefighters from one flat to another and told that someone would come for them. It has heard that firefighters were not trained on cladding fires or evacuations, or on the reversal of stay put. It has heard of one officer, Norman Harrison, who told his bosses that stay put should be reversed, but was ignored. |
| In his report, The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power, the Right Rev James Jones makes important points about the treatment of the bereaved after a public tragedy. He speaks of a “culture of denial” in public authorities, the need for candour, and a willingness to accept criticism and learn from errors. These are all lessons from Hillsborough. Cotton’s defensiveness set a disturbing precedent for other public bodies and core participants yet to be called. It signals that survivors and families may have yet another battle on their hands – the battle for truth and accountability. | In his report, The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power, the Right Rev James Jones makes important points about the treatment of the bereaved after a public tragedy. He speaks of a “culture of denial” in public authorities, the need for candour, and a willingness to accept criticism and learn from errors. These are all lessons from Hillsborough. Cotton’s defensiveness set a disturbing precedent for other public bodies and core participants yet to be called. It signals that survivors and families may have yet another battle on their hands – the battle for truth and accountability. |
| “For this inquiry to have meaning,” said Deborah Coles , the director of Inquest, “it must establish the truth and perform its vital preventative role so that such needless loss of life is never repeated. To achieve this, all witnesses must be open, honest and candid. There must also be a willingness to acknowledge and learn from failings. Only through this can there be effective and meaningful change and the lives of those who died properly respected.” | “For this inquiry to have meaning,” said Deborah Coles , the director of Inquest, “it must establish the truth and perform its vital preventative role so that such needless loss of life is never repeated. To achieve this, all witnesses must be open, honest and candid. There must also be a willingness to acknowledge and learn from failings. Only through this can there be effective and meaningful change and the lives of those who died properly respected.” |
| Truth, accountability and change. These are the elements of justice. As survivors prepare to give evidence on Wednesday, they know they have a long road ahead of them. While families campaign for change outside the inquiry, inside they face a similar battle. There have been legal wrangles over disclosure, a dry technical process that has alienated many families and diminished the goodwill created in the opening commemorations. The venue is inappropriate; it’s nowhere near the local community and impossible for those juggling work with the school run, which means many do not feel able to participate fully. For some, the inquiry venue is also where they heard bad news. The authorities should note Jones’s points of learning on the need for effective participation and the treatment of the bereaved after a public tragedy. This is their inquiry. Their voices must be heard. | Truth, accountability and change. These are the elements of justice. As survivors prepare to give evidence on Wednesday, they know they have a long road ahead of them. While families campaign for change outside the inquiry, inside they face a similar battle. There have been legal wrangles over disclosure, a dry technical process that has alienated many families and diminished the goodwill created in the opening commemorations. The venue is inappropriate; it’s nowhere near the local community and impossible for those juggling work with the school run, which means many do not feel able to participate fully. For some, the inquiry venue is also where they heard bad news. The authorities should note Jones’s points of learning on the need for effective participation and the treatment of the bereaved after a public tragedy. This is their inquiry. Their voices must be heard. |
| The inquiry, and the police investigation, could lead to change, but the wheels of justice are slow and their destination is uncertain. For now, the real change seems to be taking place outside the inquiry processes, led by the families themselves, who are determined to ensure that their children are not still campaigning for change in 30 years’ time. They should not have to fight. On Monday, they made this country safer and showed that their voices will be heard. The government seems to be listening. The inquiry – and those in public office called to give evidence – must listen too. | The inquiry, and the police investigation, could lead to change, but the wheels of justice are slow and their destination is uncertain. For now, the real change seems to be taking place outside the inquiry processes, led by the families themselves, who are determined to ensure that their children are not still campaigning for change in 30 years’ time. They should not have to fight. On Monday, they made this country safer and showed that their voices will be heard. The government seems to be listening. The inquiry – and those in public office called to give evidence – must listen too. |
| As Elcock said: “We want Grenfell to be remembered not just for the trauma we went through but for the change that comes next. We hope this is the start of that change.” | As Elcock said: “We want Grenfell to be remembered not just for the trauma we went through but for the change that comes next. We hope this is the start of that change.” |
| • Seraphima Kennedy is a writer and academic researcher and a former neighbourhood officer at Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation | • Seraphima Kennedy is a writer and academic researcher and a former neighbourhood officer at Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation |
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