Learning from Disaster – The PM’s Grenfell Pledge
Key Contact: Liz Gibbons
In the wake of the landmark final report on the Grenfell Inquiry, the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has pledged to ensure social landlords are wholly “held to account” for the safety of their properties.
Whilst the report stopped short of making recommendations directly impacting social housing providers, the PM’s statement emphasises the rigidity of the onus on social landlords to provide safe, well-built and well-maintained homes – and certainly in preventing the recurrence of a disaster of such colossal measure.
Starmer’s commitment to safety
A key element of Starmer’s pledge is addressing the broader systemic issues identified by the Grenfell Inquiry, including the use of unsafe cladding, fire safety protocols, and the failure of authorities to listen to residents’ concerns.
Starmer has committed to ensuring that all high-rise buildings are retrofitted with safe materials and that fire safety standards are enforced across the board. He has said the government will take the “necessary steps” to speed up building safety works, with further regulation to be expected as a result of the report.
Navigating the fast-paced and often complex change in building regulations can be daunting – but it is of utmost importance that such changes are clearly understood by social landlords so that the industry can meet the expectations.
Stop, listen, act
Starmer’s pledge further represents a broader push for transparency and accountability in the social housing sector. As an industry, we must commit to hearing tenant’s voices and viewing them as an invaluable measure of successes, failures and risks within the communities they live in – taking action from there.
In learning from the numerous failings that led to the harrowing disaster at Grenfell, Starmer promotes that tenant’s homes should be exactly that – homes. Somewhere that is built to the highest safety standards and is maintained to the same degree. As both Grenfell and the tragic death of Awaab Ishak have taught us, small repeated failings can lead to catastrophic outcomes. The Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023 and the Decent Homes Standard (currently under review in England) should be strictly adhered to, to ensure the foundational right to adequate housing is upheld.
For advice as you consider the implications of the Grenfell report, including issues relating to health and safety, construction and disrepair claims and disputes, please contact our Social Housing team.
