It is now two months since the catastrophic Grenfell Tower fire left at least 80 people dead, though more are still categorised as missing and are feared dead by their loved ones. That some of the poorest residents were subjected to a catalogue of failings in one of the richest boroughs is a stain on the national conscience. The lack of health and safety measures that could have been decisive in preventing loss of life, including fire-proof cladding and a sprinkler system, have led to serious questions about the impact of austerity in a borough that has reserves of £274m.
The recovery operation has been blighted by failures. The prime minister promised new accommodation to house those who needed it within three weeks. The Grenfell fire response team reports that, while 175 offers have been made, only 14 households have been permanently rehoused and only 48 households have new temporary accommodation as of this week.
This is unacceptable. Survivors are living in hotel rooms while struggling to cope with the mental and emotional trauma of losing loved ones. The horror of their experience is completely at odds with the shortcomings in the response. The distrust and anger from the community is self-evident from successive council meetings and public forums at which people have been up in arms about the treatment they have received. All of this should be ringing alarm bells for the recovery operation, the council and the government.
This disaster has had a disproportionate impact on migrant communities. The government has offered a temporary amnesty for survivors, promising that those who come forward for help will not have their immigration status investigated for 12 months. This does not go far enough, as people fearful of facing deportation and detention after 12 months need to be treated with the compassion that their exceptional circumstances and experiences demand. The deadline for application for this amnesty is 31 August. This is an additional and unnecessary stress on people still coming to terms with appalling trauma.
The Labour leadership and the mayor of London have called for commissioners to come in to run the council. In a letter to MPs on 11 July, the communities and local government secretary, Sajid Javid, stated that if there were “evidence of systemic failure”, this could result in a statutory inspection. The case for this is becoming more and more apparent by the day.
If the government is to earn the trust of the community, it cannot have an arm’s length approach. Commissioners must be brought in who have the confidence of the people who have been affected by this disaster. Fundamental issues including housing, funding, charitable support and mental health provision must be centrally coordinated, with open and transparent accountability from senior representatives of government and clear channels to the traumatised community. Two months on, it is clear that the scar of Grenfell will take a generation to heal. Let’s not let another day go by without taking the action needed.
• Diane Abbott is shadow home secretary and Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
