Government accused of failing to implement Grenfell inquiry recommendations ‘put disabled lives at risk’

The government has been accused of “putting the lives of disabled people at risk” by failing to implement all recommendations of the Grenfell inquiry, while the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it had met all improvements it had asked for.

In 2019, LFC was criticized by investigation chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick for failings in equipment, training and management.

The retired judge praised the bravery of individual firefighters but found the group’s response “woefully inadequate” and said the death toll would have been fewer had they evacuated the building earlier.

He made 29 recommendations to the brigade, all of which have been implemented so far.

Six years after Grenfell Tower: ‘Frustration over lack of change is turning to anger’

Commissioner Andy Roy praised his team’s achievements, saying new equipment and policies had saved hundreds of lives, but warned many buildings remained unsafe due to the ongoing cladding crisis.

“I think it’s unacceptable that we have 1,250 buildings that still need some kind of repair. London, I would take this opportunity to urge the owners and managers, especially to repair it, to do the right thing. “

Asked if the thought kept him up at night, he said: “Yes, of course, because that’s my firefighters working in those buildings and there are hundreds of thousands of Londoners living in them.”

This landmark moment for the LFB has drawn more attention to the government’s own, incomplete advice.

Evacuation plan ‘makes moral sense’

They said that among the 15 recommendations for the government in the first phase Grenfell Tower After enquiry, they have completed 11 projects and “work on the remaining 4 projects is still continuing.”

One that stands out is a requirement that forces building owners and managers to develop and maintain “Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans,” or PEEPS, for all residents with disabilities in high-rise buildings.

Adam Gabsi is a wheelchair user who lives on the sixth floor of a tower block with Grenfell-style cladding.

He must work to obtain PEEP while also retrofitting the building so he can escape in the event of a fire.

He said: “I would say to the government: ‘You can value my lease, but you can’t value my life’.

“The Grenfell inquiry recommended PEEP but it’s not in place, so what’s the point?

“Anyone can live in a high-rise and be disabled tomorrow. It makes moral sense to have an evacuation plan.”

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“Can’t let this happen again”

Around 41 per cent of disabled people in Grenfell lost their lives in the fires and for former resident and Grenfell Council member Ed Daffarn, seven years on, disabled people still face Danger.

He said their lives were at risk due to “economic considerations”.

The government has previously said it would not make PEEP mandatory due to concerns about practicality and cost.

“My sense is that the government is not looking at this independently and they are more worried about the cost implications,” Mr Daffan said.

“However, the cost impact caused Grenfell in the first place and we cannot let this happen again.

“It is important that all recommendations made by the public inquiry are implemented and that there is an oversight body to ensure this is done.”

A Home Office spokesman said the government remained “fully committed to taking steps to ensure tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire never happen again”.

“We are also currently considering our response to the consultation on personal evacuation plans to determine how best to implement the inquiry’s recommendations. The government’s response to this consultation will be announced in due course.”