Grenfell residents 'failed by many over number of years'
The Grenfell Tower deaths were avoidable and those who lived in the block were 'badly failed over a number of years', the Inquiry has found.
Chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said governments hadn't given proper consideration to the dangers of combustible cladding - as well as 'systematic dishonesty' from manufacturers. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick said governments hadn't given proper consideration to the dangers of combustible cladding - as well as 'systematic dishonesty' from manufacturers. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00The simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable and those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years
00:10and in a number of different ways by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants.
00:20They include the government, the tenant management organisation, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
00:28those who manufactured and supplied the materials used in the refurbishment, those who certified their suitability for use on high-rise buildings,
00:39the architect, the principal contractor and some of its subcontractors, in particular Harley Curtain Wall and its successor Harley Facades,
00:51some of the consultants, in particular the fire engineer Exover Warrington Fire, the local authorities building control department and the London Fire Brigade.
01:04We find that there was a failure on the part of the government and others to give proper consideration at an early stage to the dangers of using combustible materials in the walls of high-rise buildings,
01:18that including failing to amend in an appropriate way the statutory guidance on the construction of external walls.
01:27That is where the seeds of the disaster were sown.
01:31We discovered that there had been systematic dishonesty on the part of manufacturers involving deliberate manipulation of the testing processes
01:43and calculated attempts to mislead purchasers into thinking that what were combustible materials complied with the provisions of the statutory guidance that advised against their use.
01:57The picture is one of a persistent failure to give sufficient importance to the demands of fire safety, particularly the safety of vulnerable people,
02:07and a failure on the part of the Council to scrutinise that aspect of the organisation's activities adequately.