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Seven years after the Grenfell Tower disaster claimed the lives of 72 people, the country risks witnessing a similar tragedy, the head of the firefighters’ union has warned.
With the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry set to be published on 4 September, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) chief Matt Wrack has expressed deep concern over the lack of progress in addressing fire safety and building regulations.
He criticised the government, claiming it has failed to address the ongoing cladding crisis and implement substantial fire safety reforms.
“We are frustrated about how long it has taken before getting to the final stage of the inquiry seven years on,” he told The Independent. “Ourselves, firefighters, and the community feel there has been no justice delivered following the horrific incident.”
The inquiry, commissioned by then-prime minister Theresa May, has taken years to complete, a delay Mr Wrack believes has allowed dangerous conditions to persist.
The Conservative government at the time pledged to fund the removal of unsafe cladding from residential properties and introduced a Building Safety Fund to support leaseholders.
However, it has been a slow process, with data published in June revealing that less than a quarter of the 4,336 identified buildings had completed the necessary works. In around 1,000 cases, buildings work had not even begun.
Mr Wrack added: “There has not been substantial change in building safety. We think there needs to be a fundamental change in the approach to policy and look into how the building safety has been dealt with in Britain.
“Large numbers of poeple are still living in buildings that are not adequaquately safe.”
Mr Wrack argued the Grenfell tragedy is rooted in failures among politicians and decades of deregulation have allowed eroded safety standards.
“We have made the point that the failings that led to the Grenfell Tower fire are situated at the very high level of government”, he said: “Senior government ministers have allowed regulations that delivered safety to be watered down and got rid of.
“You can look at all the prime ministers over the past 40 years overseeing that. There have been a lot of hands involved in all of this.”
Mr Wrack bellieves the repercussions of these decisions led to the catastrophic blaze engulfing the building in London. He warned cladding used at Grenfell, which the first part of the inquiry found to be the “principal” reason for the rapid spread of the blaze, is still present in several UK buildings.
He said: “Cladding was placed not only on Grenfell Tower but other residential buildings around the country, and that hasn’t been resolved.”
The FBU has urged the government to legislate to restrict poeple from “living in dangerous buildings”.
As the union and victims wait for the inquiry’s conclusions, Mr Wrack is clear where the accountability lies.
He said: “The idea that the fire service measure are what caused the Grenfell Tower fire is wrong. What caused the disaster at Grenfell is wrapping up a building in deadly flammable cladding. That is criminal and that was what allowed it to happen.
“The questions we should be asking politicians is why it happened and why have poeple who compromised the safety of those who died in Grenfell Tower not been held accountable. Why there have not been any arrests? Why is nobody facing prison senteces as a result of this?”
Responding to Mr Wrack’s comments, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government insisted the Labour government is committed to securing jsutice for the Grenfell Tower victims and improving building safety.
A government spokesperson said: “We will never forget the 72 lives lost at Grenfell and remain absolutely committed to securing justice for the bereaved, survivors and the wider community.
“In the government’s manifesto, we set out our commitment to improving building safety, including accelerating cladding remediation, ensuring anyone responsible for the building safety crisis pays and better protecting leaseholders.”
