The Grenfell Tower Inquiry has just reported on it’s main findings after seven years.
The Chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, architect Thouria Istephan and housing expert Ali Akbor spoke. The inquiry has found that decades of failure led to the fire in which 72 people died. The panel found that all the deaths were avoidable. The victims were “badly failed” by those who should have ensured their safety; some by incompetence and some through greed. The manufacturers of the cladding engaged in “systematic dishonesty”.
The panel has made a number of recommendations to avoid a repeat of this tragedy, including:
- The appointment of construction regulator to oversee the industry as a whole
- Making one government department responsible for overseeing fire safety
- The introduction of mandatory fire safety strategy
- The regulation of fire risk assessors
- The establishment of a college of fire and rescue
In addition, the panel is to recommend that the definition of a higher risk building in the Building Safety Act 2022 be amended so that it relates to the vulnerabilities of those who live and work there rather than just to the building’s height.