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Straight to the Alt Forum - save Matt a job!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...after-400-days
No one should have died at Grenfell Tower, the inquiry into the disaster that killed 72 people has heard as it closed after 400 days of evidence. The government said it was “truly sorry” for its own failures.
Richard Millett KC, counsel to the inquiry, used his final statement to declare: “Each and every one of the deaths that occurred in Grenfell Tower, on the 14 June 2017 was avoidable.”
He accused organisations involved in the refurbishment of spinning “a web of blame” and denying responsibility despite evidence of “incompetence”, “malpractice” and “dishonesty”.
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After Millett spoke, Grenfell United, the families group, said the closure of the inquiry, which is not due to produce a report until at least October 2023, was a reminder “that we continue to live our lives knowing the evidence has been uncovered. And yet, there’s no change. No accountability. No charges”.
As Scotland Yard wait for the final report before moving towards potential criminal charges, any trials for offences ranging from corporate manslaughter to fraud may not start before 2025, more than seven years since the disaster, the Guardian understands.
“We now have to put our faith into a justice system that protects the powerful – a system that prevents justice,” the families group said. “While this system exists, we face the same unachievable battle as the many before us. From Aberfan, to Hillsborough, justice has been denied, and Grenfell is no different.”
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The Grenfell Tower inquiry has cost the taxpayer more than £150m in legal costs, but the true legal bill is far higher. The cladding manufacturer, Arconic, for example, has been spending as much as $4m (£3.4m) every three months on lawyers, according to recent corporate filings. By contrast, the saving to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea made by switching from zinc cladding to combustible plastic-filled aluminium panels with “significantly worse” fire performance was just £293,368.
Not just government should apologise those nearer the area should take as much ir more blame as the judge points out ""He accused organisations involved in the refurbishment of spinning “a web of blame” and denying responsibility despite evidence of “incompetence”, “malpractice” and “dishonesty""
What did you expect? Name one enquiry where anybody of note has been held accountable for their actions. This one will be filed next to the Jimmy Savile enquiry (remember that?).Originally Posted by jon1959
A disgrace. Forget arguments about who is most to blame - the bereaved must not be kept waiting as long as they were after Hillsborough for justice to prevail (well, as close as it can come to prevailing).
There's a blast from the past, how many times did they try to sweep that one under the carpet?
I find stuff like this so frustrating just do the right thing apologise from all sector's, compensate, move on..
The trouble with a lot of this tuff they use it as a political weapon.. and once weaponised everyone is on the backfoot and reaching for enquiries rather than solving stuff quickly .
Now I really hate folk like this
The shameless Grenfell fraudsters who conned £770,000 out of their local council
They claimed hotel stays, benefits and income support after spinning a pack of lies.
https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/shameless-grenfell-fraudsters-who-conned-17108124
And to show there is some goodness about this happened
https://metro.co.uk/2017/10/11/illegal-immigrants-who-survived-grenfell-given-path-to-permanent-residency-6994077/
Incredible https://www.scotsman.com/news/illega...d-1428993?amp=
Two illegal immigrants who falsely claimed more than £100,000 in accommodation and pre-paid credit cards by posing as victims of the Grenfell Tower fire are facing jail
And your two take-aways from the Grenfell scandal is that enquiries get in the way and that the real focus should be on a handful of fraudsters who used the tragedy for their personal gain?
Beyond irony!
If there had been an enquiry after Lakanal House in 2009 where 6 died after the fire spread via the new external cladding, the avoidable tragedy of Grenfell might not have happened.
I can't think of an example off the top, but there have been enquiries that finally exposed the truth and brought about changes to law or regulation that made a repeat much less likely. Usually in response to public pressure. Pressure from people and organisations who don't stand on the sidelines and pontificate on how nothing will change, but force change through!
In this case the changes to Building Regs and other statutory regulation that will determine what can be fitted to residential blocks and how, should have been done after Lakanal House in 2009 (if not earlier) and if that had been done then Grenfell would not have happened. But there was a change of government in 2010 (and John Heeley who was driving the housing safety changes lost his job) followed by Cameron/Osbourne austerity which stopped local authorities from doing the work needed to make cladding safe.
There may be prosecutions of individuals or corporations in the coming years, or there may not. I think there will be some. But the main outcome of the enquiry will be telling the full story and making a repeat tragedy much less likely. It helps when the buck passing and dishonesty of the main players is exposed as has happened here.
LOM’s trying too hard lately and making even more of a fool of himself than normal. In its way, Grenfell is the most shocking event in a world where shocking events have become ten a penny and yet he chooses to ignore the seventy two who died, preferring to talk politics and money.
What about the dreadful people pretending to claim ..
I'm my view Aberfan hugely outweighs shocking .
No that's John 1959 just above talking money and naming political folks 🙄
You are seriously bringing up Aberfan in order to downplay the horror of Grenfell?
Grotesque!
I'd stop digging if I were you - thinking someone trying to fiddle the state is worse than innocent people being burned to death is a pretty warped way of looking at things.
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