Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report

Baroness Scott of Bybrook Excerpts

Friday 22nd November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for bringing this important issue to the House to be debated. I also thank all those noble Lords who have given up their Friday to either take part in or listen to this important debate, which my noble friend Lady Sanderson and I know will be noted by the community of Grenfell. I have been involved with the community since just after the fire, first by working for the Government with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and then as the Minister responsible for the Grenfell community.

The date of 14 June 2017 is one that few of us will ever forget, least of all the wonderful, brave, resilient survivors and bereaved in the Grenfell community whose lives were changed for ever that day. The two reports produced by the inquiry answered some of their questions but left many unanswered, the most important of which are: when will we get justice and who is ultimately responsible? Can the Minister tell the House when he expects these questions to be answered? What engagement are the Government undertaking in the meantime with the communities, especially the bereaved and the survivors?

I will not repeat all the issues and questions raised by my noble friend Lady Sanderson, who, alongside the former MP Nick Hurd, has been a huge supporter of and friend to the Grenfell community, but I support and agree with everything she said. My noble friend and Nick Hurd have ensured that the voices of the Grenfell community have been heard at the very top of government over the last seven years. They understand the Grenfell community, and I urge the new Government to continue to listen to and engage with them.

In this debate we have rightly heard a great deal about the importance of safe housing. As this matter has been explored in great depth by noble Lords on all sides of the House, I will keep my comments about it short, but it is at the forefront of the Grenfell community’s minds. As they have said, no one is safe until everyone is safe.

As far as high-rise buildings are concerned, the Conservative Government allocated substantial funds to remediate and identify at-risk buildings. A £600 million fund was established to replace unsafe aluminium composite material—the cladding type used on Grenfell Tower—and a further £5.1 billion was allocated to the cladding safety scheme and the building safety fund. I hope this new Government will follow our lead and allocate the correct financial support needed into the future because, as we have heard today, there is much more to do.

Unfortunately, as we heard during the inquiry and testimony week, the tragedy of the Grenfell fire had its genesis years before the night of that terrible blaze. There are lessons that need to be learned, especially by local authorities, tenant management organisations and social housing providers.

That said, encouragingly, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has since gone through extensive change. Under the leadership of Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, its culture and commitment to its tenants have been radically improved. Even so, the council will admit that there is more to do, and it has just accepted all the recommendations from the inquiry.

The stigma attached to being a social housing tenant is real. Too often they are not listened to, and too often no action is taken regarding their concerns, and that results in an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. The passing of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act by the previous Government was noted as a positive move in the inquiry report, and I thank all sides of the House, and particularly the noble Lord, Lord Best, for the support that the Bill was given.

The Grenfell community wanted the social housing sector to be further regulated, and the Conservative Government delivered that. The new regulator now in place is listening to tenants and has the power, as we have heard from the noble Lord, Lord Best, to challenge providers which ignore their tenants’ concerns and provide poor or untimely services.

A further priority of the bereaved and the survivors was the future professionalisation of the social housing sector, ensuring that all staff are suitably qualified to work in that sector, with the skills to understand the tenants and their needs. I ask the Minister to update the House on the progress in implementing that part of the Act.

I also ask the Minister to update us on Awaab’s law. We are waiting for an SI to come through in order for that to be implemented, so I would be grateful for that update.

I thank the regulator. I have met its staff more than once, and their good work came into force very quickly. I encourage them to continue their strong liaison with the tenants and their voice, listening to those tenants for their valuable insights. In that Act we gave them the tools to deal with poor practice, but I ask the Minister to assure the House that those powers will be kept under review and strengthened if necessary.

Seventy-two people died in Grenfell Tower, but that terrible number is by no means the full extent of the suffering caused by the fire. Many others who survived or lived nearby are enduring the physical and mental effects of the fire. It is therefore important that health services for the community have been and will continue to be tailored to their needs.

Before leaving my post in DLUHC I was challenging the health service, both locally and nationally, to continue to provide a bespoke service for the Grenfell community, including monitoring of community health over years, if not decades. That included regular physical and mental health checks that can be easily accessible, including for those survivors who have moved out of area. I ask the Minister to assure the House that that work is continuing and is funded for as many years as necessary.

Of the 72 people who died in the fire, 18 were children. Those children had young friends who had to come to terms with their loss. Other children watched the fire happening that night and have had to live their lives in the sight of the tower ever since. They still walk to school past it every day. Schools and their teachers have played a crucial part in the lives and well-being of these children over the last seven years. These schools have supported, signposted, protected and cared for these children through very difficult times, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. However, additional services cost money. There was a question regarding how these school services were funded, and we want to know how they will continue to be funded to do this essential work. Therefore, I ask the Minister to ensure that these issues continue to be discussed and solutions found.

Many of the children affected saw things no child should ever witness. Now these children are growing up and taking their first steps into the world as young adults. It is important not only that we support them in their career choices and further education, but that we support their mental health as they traverse this stage of life, so that they can manage their trauma and stand on their own two feet as happy and thriving adults. I urge the Minister to ensure that services are readily available in a timely manner and that they are properly funded.

The Grenfell inquiry is a damning indictment of 30 years of successive industry and state failures. The previous Government started to put these wrongs right, and it is now up to our new Government to continue this important work. For the Grenfell bereaved and survivors, peace will come only with justice. I urge the Government to ensure this happens as soon as possible, while paying all due regard to the complexities of the legal process. We will, as His Majesty’s Opposition, ensure that the Government continue to make the Grenfell community a priority and that the recommendations of the report are delivered. We are always here, as His Majesty’s Opposition, to help.

My thoughts are, as always, with the bereaved, the survivors, and the wider community that is Grenfell. You are always in my prayers.