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Grenfell Inquiry will be carried out in two stages, says Moore-Bick

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be carried out in two stages, its chair announced in the opening session in central London this morning.

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Grenfell Inquiry will be carried out in two stages, says Moore-Bick

Delivering an opening statement in the plush surroundings of the Connaught Rooms in central London, Sir Martin Moore-Bick praised the local community surrounding Grenfell Tower for their “fortitude and resilience”.

The first stage of the inquiry will look at the cause and spread of the fire and the “chain of events” during the fire until it was put out. This will include looking at the emergency services’ response and the evacuation of the tower.

Sir Martin said there is an “urgent need” to look at how the design and construction of the tower played a “significant role” in allowing the fire to spread because if there are “similar defects” in other tower blocks, “steps must be taken quickly to ensure that those who live in them are kept safe”.


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This stage of the inquiry will include witnesses who had direct experience of the fire – including residents who escaped, local people and fire fighters.

The second stage will focus on how the tower “came to be so seriously exposed to the risk of a disastrous fire”. This will involve an investigation into the design of the building, its modifications over the years, decisions relating to design and construction and the reasons those decisions were made.

Sir Martin will also look at whether the tower met building regulations and whether the regulations themselves were “adequate”.

This stage will also include a look at the fire risk assessments that were carried out and what steps were taken in response to them. A particular focus will be on the recent refurbishment of the building and the fitting of external cladding.

 

A key part of the inquiry will look at the communications between residents and Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) and the council in relation to the safety of the tower.

Sir Martin said the second stage of the inquiry will take “rather longer” because there will be lots of documents to examine.

Sir Martin said the local community had wanted him to appoint an assessor to help him carry out the inquiry from their ranks but he decided against this because it could compromise his impartiality “in the eyes of others who are also deeply involved in the inquiry”.

Instead, he will appoint assessors who are independent and have “expertise of a social and administrative nature”.

He will also seek expert advice in technical areas such as the development of fire in residential tower blocks and the “intricacies” of the building regulations.

He expects to announce the appointment of the first group of assessors “within the next week or so”.

Sir Martin was keen to stress he will not “shrink from making any findings or recommendations” even if they form the basis of a civil or criminal case at a later date.

He said he would like to start the hearings “before the end of this year” but this will depend on whether witnesses feel able to give evidence. The hearings will be live broadcast wherever possible and documents will be made public.

There have been 300 applications to be core participants to the inquiry and some of these have already been accepted, he said.

Sir Martin has already written to the council, KCTMO, contractors and suppliers asking for documents.

He said the past few months have “turned the lives of the people who live in North Kensington upside down” and former residents of the tower and other local people “feel a great sense of anger and betrayal”.

He said this is “entirely natural and understandable” but if the inquiry is to “get to the truth of what happened” it must “seek out the relevant evidence and examine it calmly and rationally”.

Never Again campaign

Never Again campaign

Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire

Never Again: campaign asks

Inside Housing is calling 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.

LANDLORDS

  • Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
  • Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
  • Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
  • Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents

GOVERNMENT

  • Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
  • Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
  • Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)

We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.

The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.

 

READ MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN HERE

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