Morning Briefing: Grenfell judge tells survivors to stay put after fire alarm

In the news

Huff Post has a video of the moment during the inquiry when a fire alarm went off in the building, and Sir Martin told everyone to stay where they were, repeating advice issued to many who died in Grenfell Tower.

As the inquiry began, a report from the London Assembly’s planning committee called for sprinklers to be required by law in tower blocks. The Independent has the story.

Seraphima Kennedy, who used to work for Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation and who was at the inquiry yesterday, has written for The Guardian criticising the government’s ongoing response.

Ms Kennedy argues that the survivors of the fire are still being treated as a PR problem.

Meanwhile, in Manchester following the prime minister’s announcement of a new policy on controversial ‘viability assessments’ that are often used by developers to reduce levels of affordable housing, the council has a new policy of its own.

The city council, The Guardian reports, has voted to require viability assessments for developments with less than 20% affordable housing. These assessments will be made public.

In London, the Waltham Forest Echo reports that Sadiq Khan has demanded that Waltham Forest Council deliver more affordable housing in its redevelopment of The Mall.

Elsewhere, the contractor Interserve has reached an agreement with its banks to gain access to extra funding, the Financial Times reports.

The struggling outsourcing company, a rival of Carillion which has a number of contracts with housing associations, had agreed emergency funding with lenders after breaching banking covenants last year.

Finally, The Times has a story on Steve Morgan, chair and founder of Redrow, one of Britain’s biggest builders. He told the Home Builders Federation conference in London that it would be almost impossible for him to create his company today because of planning laws.

On social media

IT professional Tony Smith puts an interesting question to the sector:

If we are offering customers self-service, can/should we be helping them stay safe online too? t.co/u6744N1IOI#ukhousing #socialhousing pic.twitter.com/AaHgMertTU

— Ｔｏｎｙ Ｓｍｉｔｈ ＡＣＩＨ #SocialHousing (@HousingITguy)

If we are offering customers self-service, can/should we be helping them stay safe online too? https://t.co/u6744N1IOI#ukhousing #socialhousing pic.twitter.com/AaHgMertTU

— Ｔｏｎｙ Ｓｍｉｔｈ ＡＣＩＨ #SocialHousing (@HousingITguy) March 22, 2018

What’s on

• Another procedural hearing for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is scheduled for today. You can watch a live stream here.