In a pivotal move just ahead of the eighth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has called for the establishment of an independent national oversight mechanism. The Committee maintains that the Government should not be left to "mark its own homework" when implementing the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel.

In a letter addressed to Angela Rayner, Secretary of State, and jointly to Alex Norris, Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth, the cross-party Committee expressed a firm desire to see this mechanism enshrined within the forthcoming ‘Hillsborough Law’. The aim is to ensure robust accountability not just for Grenfell, but for all public inquiries moving forward.

Strengthening Accountability Post-Grenfell

The HCLG Committee believes that such a mechanism would help avert the kind of systemic failures that led to past tragedies, including Hillsborough, the infected blood scandal, and Grenfell itself. The Committee recently conducted a short inquiry into the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and shared several key findings.

These recommendations address vital areas such as engagement with residents affected by Grenfell, delays in building safety sign-offs, and the operations of the Building Safety Regulator. Other focal points include Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), the proposed Building Safety Levy, and resources for Fire and Rescue Services.

Florence Eshalomi, chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee in Parliament, welcomed the Government’s acceptance of the Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations. However, she voiced concerns over public trust. “How, though, can the loved ones of the Grenfell victims be asked to trust the Government to mark its own homework when they have spent nearly eight years fighting for answers as to why people were denied the most basic level of safety?” Eshalomi remarked. She reiterated the Committee’s support for an independent oversight structure.

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