Grenfell Inquiry

[El Pollo Diablo]

For those who would like to listen to a (still long but) abridged summary of what happened with Grenfell, then the BBC's excellent Kate Lamble has done Grenfell: Building a Disaster as a short series. It's excellent, would recommend.

Of course, if you'd like to hear the full fury of the six years of the inquiry, listen to all the episodes of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast. Public service broadcasting at its finest.

[Grumble]

Not read any of it yet sorry but if anyone thinks any of this (or other things like Awaab's law) has made a significant difference to attitudes to tenants then think again.

/anecdote

Convictions and punitive damages/jail time are the only things that will do that.

[El Pollo Diablo]

I'll be astonished if any of this leads to jail time for anyone. Hard to see where personal culpability may lie to that extent. This is a systems failure

[Brightonian]

Just started listening to the BBC podcasts. One interesting thing was the funding model for the Building Research Establishment which is responsible for certification and standards.

The BRE's funding seems to be from companies in the industry, not from HMG since privatisation in the 1990s. An excellent cost-saving idea - perhaps the police could be properly funded by getting contributions from organised crime groups (am expecting someone to jump in now with "well, actually...").

[jimbob]

Just started listening to the BBC podcasts. One interesting thing was the funding model for the Building Research Establishment which is responsible for certification and standards.

The BRE's funding seems to be from companies in the industry, not from HMG since privatisation in the 1990s. An excellent cost-saving idea - perhaps the police could be properly funded by getting contributions from organised crime groups (am expecting someone to jump in now with "well, actually...").

Okay I'll bite. So you mean like the Met? I think that is more of an informal and person to person sponsorship approach.

[kerrya1]

Just started listening to the BBC podcasts. One interesting thing was the funding model for the Building Research Establishment which is responsible for certification and standards.

The BRE's funding seems to be from companies in the industry, not from HMG since privatisation in the 1990s. An excellent cost-saving idea - perhaps the police could be properly funded by getting contributions from organised crime groups (am expecting someone to jump in now with "well, actually...").

Well, actually what happens to the money recovered through the proceeds of crime act? That could be considered an involuntary contribution from criminals.

[jimbob]

https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk ... ume-1.html

None of the documents or any of the witnesses, other than Lord Pickles, supported the conclusion that Part B of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations or Approved Document B was exempt from the policy on deregulation. We have been unable to accept his evidence on that question, which was flatly contradicted by that of his officials and by the contemporaneous documents. Moreover, in its written closing statement the department accepted that the policy on deregulation being promoted across government since 2010 created an environment in which officials working on Building Regulations felt unable to propose regulatory interventions or refer their concerns to more senior managers.[1212] It is a matter of serious concern that officials in the Building Regulations and Standards Division were so affected by the deregulation policy that they were inhibited from giving candid and clear advice to ministers on the implications of not taking certain regulatory steps. It is impossible to know with certainty whether an exemption from the policy would have been granted, if it had it been sought, but it is clear that the limits of the deregulation policy and the process for seeking an exemption from it were not fully understood across government. Given the fact that many regulations affect public safety, that was a serious flaw.

That is pretty harsh criticism for a public inquiry

[El Pollo Diablo]

Yes, I picked that paragraph out as well. Amazing stuff.

[Lew Dolby]

Were the witnesses under oath ??? If so, that woud seem to be an "open-and-shut" case against Pickles.

[JQH]

I'll be astonished if any of this leads to jail time for anyone. Hard to see where personal culpability may lie to that extent. This is a systems failure

Faking safety checks is surely criminal?

[El Pollo Diablo]

Could well be, I'm just sceptical of the tenacity of justice in cases like this. Corporate manslaughter would be possible but is notoriously difficult to convict on.