Learning from the Grenfell tragedy
Many of those who died at Grenfell or who survived were from ethnically diverse communities and most lived in social housing. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry found the council and the tenant management organisation (TMO) failed to:
- treat residents, especially tenants and leaseholders, with dignity and respect
- have due regard for the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people
The Inquiry found the council failed to:
- consider the needs of diverse communities in its emergency response
- plan effectively and showed racial discrimination in the treatment of survivors and residents in the aftermath
The council will learn from these failings. In our response to the Inquiry, building on our engagement with bereaved, survivors and residents, we set out our ambition for a meaningful legacy from Grenfell:
- rebuilding trust
- understanding our communities better
- having a skilled and professional workforce
- listening to our residents and inviting independent scrutiny of the council's culture and relationships with residents
Our commitments include:
- a new independent advisory panel made up of bereaved, survivors and residents
- and an externally commissioned review of culture to consider questions of racial and social discrimination with the aim of building an organisational culture based on fairness, respect, and humanity
All of these commitments explicitly address issues of fairness and equality and have shaped the actions set out in this plan. Our Fairer Action Plan should be seen as part of the council’s broader ambition to learn from Grenfell and ensure that our failings are never repeated.