Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Seven years after the tragic Grenfell fire he is still calling for the housing industry to do more: “This report has outlined the systemic failures of a construction sector driven by a race to the bottom, incompetence, very poor behaviour and inadequate regulation and control”. It is totally unacceptable that many buildings over 18 metres high and thousands over 11 metres high are yet to be remediated and that this continues to blight the lives of residents who are hostages in unsafe buildings causing financial and mental health issues.

“As we reflect on the loss life, we must fully embrace the new legislation and effect a major cultural change, putting life safety and quality first. Our buildings should be non- combustible and resilient to the effects of climate change including overheating, wind, flood and wildfires.

The failures of course run much deeper than might be imagined. It all starts with a culture of cost cutting driven by a procurement cycle where the cheapest price often trumps other considerations including quality and sadly life safety.  We have also witnessed Government actions to deregulate and allow the greater use of combustible materials despite a timeline of disasters dating back to the Great Fire of London and of course more recently the Lackanal Fire in London in 2009. Despite numerous warnings the Government failed to act and 72 people died in  the Grenfell Tower Tragedy.

Trust and Confidence in local and National Government is further eroded by a refusal to listen to the voice of the tenants. The residents of Grenfell repeatedly and accurately predicted the disaster that was about to happen but sadly they were ignored, for 7 years we continue to play a game of chance, hoping that another Grenfell does not occur.

Birmingham City University and The Awarding Body for the Built Environment are working with industry to address the fundamental behavioural challenge with learning and qualifications for the whole sector.