Havering and Redbridge councils: Grenfell report responses

The leaders of Havering and Redbridge councils both reaffirmed their commitments to protecting residents after the Grenfell Public Inquiry concluded all 72 deaths had been avoidable.

The tower, in Ladbroke Grove, caught fire in June 2017. Flammable cladding was identified as the most significant cause.

In the report, published on Wednesday, September 4, chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick described the blaze as a “culmination of decades of failure by central government” and the construction industry.

Over the past seven years, a series of changes have been made to tower blocks in the capital, including the removal of unsafe cladding.

A picture of the Grenfell memorial wall (Image: Google Maps) But Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said it was “unacceptable” that more than 2,000 buildings still contained combustible cladding. She has vowed to put pressure on developers to speed up the work.

Giles Grover, a member of the End Our Cladding Scandal campaign, said the government needed to “get a grip" on the building safety crisis and help leaseholders and residents finally move on with their lives,” the BBC reported.

There is no such cladding in any Redbridge homes, the council's new leader Cllr Kam Rai said in a statement.

He said: “Justice must be served to all those people who were impacted by the traumatic events of June 2017, and especially to those who tragically lost loved ones.

“The next steps must deliver significant change to ensure we never see another Grenfell.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure the highest level of safety in our blocks, and learn from the report issued today which considers the acts and omissions that combined to bring about the horrific fire in the Grenfell Tower.

“It’s partly about the cladding that was used on the building, but there were many other factors that led to the harrowing events of June 2017 in Kensington. We must heed them all.”

The huge fire sparked fire safety concerns about cladding on other buildings (Image: Google Maps) The report also uncovered “systematic dishonesty” by cladding and insulation manufacturers, a lack of strategy from the London Fire Brigade and “persistent indifference to fire safety” from Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.

A raft of new legislation is expected to be brought forward in the wake of the inquiry, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the Government would respond to the 58 recommendations within six months.

Cllr Rai continued: “We will always work to ensure our own buildings comply with all relevant legislation, regulations and guidance.”

He added: “Regular checks are made and we have an ongoing programme to ensure properties remain compliant.

"We have put an external resident panel in place to ensure we work with and listen to our residents. We work closely with our diverse community and partners to ensure our homes continue to stay safe, and so we can quickly address any issues if they arise.”

He added that all new homes being built in the borough were “compliant with all building and fire safety regulations”.

A motion was put before Havering Council on Wednesday, September 4, calling on the leadership to update its local plan to include “stricter building safety requirements, going above and beyond those required by law”.

A total of 72 people were killed in the horror fire (Image: Google Maps) Although administration councillors felt they had not been given enough time to digest the seven-volume report, they agreed to update the scheme.

Havering owns and manages around 9,400 homes and 2,500 leasehold properties, including 15 tower blocks and more than 1,000 medium- and low-rise blocks.

Council leader Cllr Ray Morgon said: “Since the Grenfell Tower fire, Havering Council has taken significant steps to enhance the safety and well-being of our residents, both in council-managed properties and private buildings.”

He said its 15 tall buildings covered by the Building Safety Act – either six storeys or 18 metres in height – had been registered with the Building Safety Regulator and London Fire Brigade (LFB).

A “detailed” safety case file for each had also been produced, and fire safety booklets had been sent to each resident.

Though the authority does not directly oversee private homes, Cllr Morgon said it was working to ensure cladding was removed.

He said: “A specific piece of work is underway at present to understand more about the cladding present on all privately owned high and mid-rise buildings within the borough, with progress reported at least quarterly to [the Housing Ministry].

“Where remedial works are needed to address any hazards found, these will be pursued with building owners.”

He continued: “Since the Grenfell fire, our emergency planning and resilience arrangements have been tested by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Wennington fire.

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“We will review our arrangements in line with the recommendations of the report as well as engaging with any London-wide review of resilience which may emerge from this review.”

In July 2022, about 19 houses were destroyed in a wildfire in Wennington, during a heatwave. Though no one died, residents were left homeless.

The council has since doubled down on its commitments to tackling climate change in the borough.