Industry News
Police say Grenfell charges are not expected before 2021
that they do not expect to bring criminal charges against anyone until the latter part of 2021 – over four years after the tragedy which killed 72 people. The Met said the second phase of the public
S
inquiry would have to complete before they can send any files to the Crown Prosecution Service. Although the Police have interviewed many people under caution, they have not made any arrests. The public inquiry itself is ongoing - phase one
which focused on the night of the fire (14 June 2017) was completed just before the end of 2018
urvivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have reacted with anger and frustration to an announcement from the Metropolitan Police
with the chairman expected to issue a report in the next month or two. Phase two focussing on the causes of the fire and events leading up to it, is formally expected to open late this year and to run throughout the whole of 2020. Natasha Elcock, chair of survivors group Grenfell
United, responded to the Met’s announcement by saying: “The week after a fire that killed our loved ones and neighbours, Theresa May promised us justice. Justice for us means accountability and change. The police have said no charges will be brought until at least 2021 and we see little real change. “We wait month after month, our lives on hold
Theresa May promised us justice. Justice for us means accountability and change
Natasha Elcock, chair of survivors group Grenfell United
for some kind of justice and progress. It is extremely frustrating and disheartening to be told this will be our way of life for years to come. On this timeline Theresa May risks leaving office without a trial starting. Today we have to ask if Theresa May will be the prime minister that brought us justice and change, or the prime minister who failed us?”
Sprinklers should be provided in all new and refurbished flats
Influential building industry bodies have joined forces to demand that sprinklers are made mandatory in all new homes in buildings taller than 11 metres. The Royal Institute of British Architects, the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institute of Building said sprinklers should be retrofitted in existing buildings during refurbishment work involving “material alterations”. They also support the installation of fire suppression systems, including sprinklers, in buildings below 11 metres “on a case-by-case basis of risk”.
The three bodies also said the Government
should require sprinklers be installed in all hotels, hospitals, student accommodation, schools and care homes. They said they will bring forward their own guidance on sprinklers if the Government fails to change the law. While sprinklers have been legally required in
new residential buildings of 10 storeys or higher since 2007 in England, the regulations do not apply retrospectively. In Wales, they are required in all new homes. In a joint statement, RIBA, RICS and CIOB said: “As the leading professional bodies in the built
environment, we believe further action is required to improve the fire safety of buildings in the UK. Lives, stock and property are saved by the use of automatic fire suppression systems, which includes sprinklers. “At present, England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland differ in their requirements on sprinklers yet the science of fire knows no political or geographical boundaries. Harmonising building regulations across the UK regarding the installation of sprinklers would provide clarity to the industry and help protect the public.”
League tables for social housing less likely
The Government is understood to have dropped its proposal to introduce league tables for social housing providers, after tenants voiced their concerns it could increase their stigma and leave them trapped in poor housing. The idea was originally included in last year’s
Social Housing Green Paper and was thought to be one of the Government’s favoured responses to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. However, Ministers are still expected to
introduce key performance indicators for assessing landlords’ performance, although it is still unclear how these will be used. The Government has yet to publicly respond to the consultation on the Green Paper, with a White Paper not expected until later in this year or early in 2020. When the introduction of league tables was first mooted, many landlords and their representative
organisations protested. They claimed tables were a blunt tool, which could be misunderstood and encourage the wrong types of behaviour. Jonathan Walters, Deputy Director of Strategy
and Performance at the Regulator of Social Housing, is reported to have said that while KPIs are likely to be part of future consumer regulation, he was less sure about league tables. Jenny Osbourne, Chief Executive of TPAS, said:
“Tenants have consistently raised their concern to us about league tables and the impact these will have on the wider issue of stigma. What help will it be for tenants whose landlords are among the worse performers when in reality there remains so little choice about moving landlord? “It could serve to only make a poor situation feel
even worse. While league tables could be a help to make performance more visible across the sector,
12 | HMM April/May 2019 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
Ministers are still expected to introduce key performance indicators for assessing landlords’ performance, although it is still unclear how these will be used
for most tenants what they are concerned with is the service and treatment they and their neighbours personally receive from their landlord. They want that to just simply get better and fast, not what position their landlord is in a table.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
