Government must act to ensure a tragedy such as Grenfell never happens again

Responding to the official report into the Grenfell Tower fire, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Kensington Sam Gyimah MP said:

"Grenfell was a tragedy that should never have happened but the Government have already failed to take action time and again.

"The actions of individual firefighters on the night were incredibly brave, but we cannot ignore the effect cuts to the fire service have had not only in their quality of service but their ability to make sure changes are made so that any failures will not be repeated.

"There is also a systemic lack of accountability and enforcement within current building regulations. This must be properly tackled if we are to see fundamental change in building safety. There must be a complete and comprehensive re-evaluation and we must also enforce strict sanctions on those who flout construction safety standards.

"The Conservative government must now move swiftly to ensure all high rise buildings are safe to live in. The Government must fully fund the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding by councils and housing associations, but also they cannot ignore those in private residential buildings. Grants should be provided so the cost isn't passed onto tenants; the Government can be reimbursed later. The priority must be people's safety.

"It is time the Conservative Government acted so that a tragedy such as Grenfell never happens again."

Following the Grenfell tragedy, Wiltshire and Dorset Fire and Rescue service announced a re-inspection of every residential high rise in our area, to reassure residents and to ensure satisfactory fire precautions are in place. They said "As well as helping people to access our free Safe and Well visits, we want residents in high rise buildings to be assured of the response they can expect from us in the event of a fire and, most importantly, to understand the arrangements for safe evacuation, should it be needed. - GROUP MANAGER SETH WHY, HEAD OF FIRE SAFETY, DORSET & WILTSHIRE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE
Seth Why continued saying "There has been concern nationally about hospital buildings being fitted with the same external cladding as used at Grenfell Tower. The Department for Communities and Local Government has advised us that none of our local hospitals are affected in this way. However, we are talking to the trusts and will work with them to reassure patients and visitors as required".
https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2017-06-28/dorset-wiltshire-firefighters-inspect-250-tower-blocks/