Grenfell Tower survivors have lashed back at a demolition plan for the building, saying the voices of bereaved family members had been ignored.
The London tower block has stood as a monument to the 72 people who were killed in a fire caused by flammable cladding on the outside walls since it happened in 2017.
But this week Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told a meeting of survivors and family members it would be dismantled to ground level. She made her announcement after a short, four-week consultation that left some attendees infuriated.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
In a statement, the Grenfell United group said nobody supported the move and the feelings of its members had not been taken into account. Members said:
We’ve said this to every Secretary of State for Housing since the very beginning: consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the Tower.
Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the Tower. She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four week consultation. But judging from the room alone – the vast majority of whom were bereaved – no one supported her decision. But she claims it is based on our views.
Today’s meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision.
Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved one’s gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable.
There has been debate over the future of the site, with some wanting the tower to stay up as a reminder of the disaster that many believe was caused by corporate penny-pinching and local government mismanagement and others wanting a new memorial instead.
It seems Rayner based her decision on a recommendation from engineers, possibly because the extent of the fire damage has made the tower unsafe.
The BBC’s report tells us that a public inquiry concluded in September that the disaster had been the result of government failures, and failure of the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
The west London tower block was covered in combustible cladding because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold it, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said.
Many bereaved families have called for criminal action to be brought against some of those implicated in the inquiry but police and prosecutors have said that no decision will be made on potential charges until the end of 2026.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Grenfell Tower survivors have lashed back at a demolition plan
Grenfell Tower survivors have lashed back at a demolition plan for the building, saying the voices of bereaved family members had been ignored.
The London tower block has stood as a monument to the 72 people who were killed in a fire caused by flammable cladding on the outside walls since it happened in 2017.
But this week Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told a meeting of survivors and family members it would be dismantled to ground level. She made her announcement after a short, four-week consultation that left some attendees infuriated.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
In a statement, the Grenfell United group said nobody supported the move and the feelings of its members had not been taken into account. Members said:
There has been debate over the future of the site, with some wanting the tower to stay up as a reminder of the disaster that many believe was caused by corporate penny-pinching and local government mismanagement and others wanting a new memorial instead.
It seems Rayner based her decision on a recommendation from engineers, possibly because the extent of the fire damage has made the tower unsafe.
The BBC’s report tells us that a public inquiry concluded in September that the disaster had been the result of government failures, and failure of the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
you might also like
The ugly politics of the Grenfell Tower fire
Theresa May simply refuses to do right by the victims of the Grenfell Tower blaze
Grenfell housing boss finally quits – more than six months after the fire