Banning combustible materials on new buildings is a good first step, but the government must go further, says Ahmed Elgwahry, who lost his mother and sister in the Grenfell Tower fire
In the last 15 months I have learnt all I can about fire safety and building regulations. It’s not something I ever thought I would be doing. After the fire, I needed to understand what happened to my mother and sister, neighbours who we lost and friends who survived that traumatic night.
What I discovered was a system which puts profit before people and permits the use of dangerous materials across the country.
Grenfell United became determined that one of the positive legacies from our tragedy would be safe homes for everyone.
On Monday we took a big step forward when the government banned combustible materials on new high rises, but there is still more to do.
This ban is the biggest recognition we’ve had from the government that they understand the construction and fire safety industry needs serious reform and new regulation.
We cannot continue to allow an industry that has shown itself to put people’s safety secondary to profits to carry on regulating itself.
But this ban must be the start of the conversation, not the end.
On its own, and without more, it falls well short of the root-and-branch change needed in the way fire risk assessors, designers and contractors approach fire safety.
If we stop here, the hard work of the last 15 months will go to waste. We now, as we made clear in our submission to the government, need to make sure:
We also asked for all hospitals, schools and care homes to be included in the ban regardless of height. When the details were announced this was recognised in part, with high-rise hospitals, schools and care homes included but not low rises.
We hope there will be ongoing consideration to extending the ban to other buildings as we learn during the Grenfell Inquiry more about the risks of these materials and the ability of our fire services to respond.
“It would be a really remarkable, meaningful gesture if companies that created, sold and fitted the materials in Grenfell helped fund their removal.”
We now need to get these dangerous materials off high-rise homes and replaced safely. On Monday night, after James Brokenshire had given his announcement, families still went to bed in unsafe blocks. It would be a really remarkable, meaningful gesture if companies that created, sold and fitted the materials in Grenfell helped fund their removal.
Given, however, that they’ve chosen to remain virtually silent in the public inquiry so far, we don’t hold out hope of a humane gesture now.
Instead the bereaved families and survivors of Grenfell will continue to campaign, and hold the government to its promise to do everything possible to remove unsafe, highly flammable combustible materials.
Our battle for safe homes stands alongside our fight for truth, justice and change so that no community is ever treated in the way our community was treated.
We know there is a lot of work to do to make sure Grenfell is remembered, not just for the tragedy but for the changes which followed it – many of which are yet to come.
For as long as there are still families going to bed in unsafe homes, there remains urgent work to do.
Ahmed Elgwahry lost his mother and sister in the Grenfell Tower fire
In the days following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, Inside Housing launched the Never Again campaign to call for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
One year on, we have extended the campaign asks in the light of information that has emerged since.
Here are our updated asks:
GOVERNMENT
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
LANDLORDS