On September 4th, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry published part two of their findings. This report outlined how the tragic events unfolded, from the architects through to the fire-brigade, everyone had the spotlight shone on them.
I tabled a motion to Havering Council, calling for the council to commit to updating our Local Plan to go above and beyond legislation in protecting our residents.
It's clear to me that Havering will increasingly be filled with tower-blocks. So, we must take action now to create London's toughest building safety rules.
A Local Plan is a document that tells developers what they can and can't build in Havering. Kensington and Chelsea have used theirs to add extra rules on top of the law.
Unfortunately, the motion was watered down by the HRA. They replaced a commitment to update the Local Plan with a promise to 'consider new legislation'. I don't think it's enough to simply 'consider', and we must go above and beyond, not follow just the minimum (legislation).
The Conservatives and Labour both voted together on this topic, with Conservatives backing a Labour amendment.
The motion and HRA amendment
My speech is below.
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Transcript
Thank you, Mr Mayor.
Mr Mayor, today saw the presentation of the Grenfell Inquiry Report. This massive document is an important step in correcting the system which failed residents and cost them their lives.
I am struck by some of the stories that have come out. The young man working for the cladding company, who had the results of the fire safety tests, but was too afraid to challenge leadership. I read about how fire doors were not repaired, despite complaints by residents. Or how the Fire Brigade failed to prepare.
A former colleague of mine, who attended the fire, stated that he had “Never seen such inequality”.
Residents in Grenfell were not treated with the level of care that they deserved. The report says that there was a failure to treat residents as people.
Grenfell United, a group of impacted families, said that people paid the price for institutional indifference.
Those of us in positions of authority must consider this and consider our duty of care to our residents. We must have a sober and serious conversation about whether we are doing everything that we can to protect them and to support them.
Mr Mayor, a Local Authority cannot replace National Building Regulations, but a Local Plan can address safety concerns through measures such as site-specific requirements, design principles, and planning conditions. We have chosen, specifically, to not make detailed recommendations in our motion and we have chosen to do so because we believe that first we need a discussion on our values and whether we chose to do all we can. Should we vote for that, this evening, we can then begin to discuss what that looks like.
I shall however give one example of how our Local Plan can go above and beyond what is legally required. That being a Qualitative Design Review Panel, as established in Kensington and Chelsea, every tall building will be assessed by a panel of experts within the Local Planning Authority.
Mr Mayor, I am standing here this evening to put forward a serious proposal. That we make a commitment to going above and beyond, to accept, as Havering’s leaders, the responsibility that comes with sitting in this chamber.
Mr Mayor, the amendment tabled today by the HRA only calls for us to ‘consider’ going above current guidelines and then to reflect new legislation. It only speaks of major developments and tall buildings.
We don’t have a choice, Mr Mayor, on whether to follow the law or not. Nor do the developers. The legislation is the legislation, whether this chamber votes to consider it or not. Legislation is the minimum, but we must do better than just considering the minimum.
Mr Mayor, the motion and all amendments, call on us to recognise the report. So let us do that.
The report states that fire safety strategies should not just be for tall buildings.
The report that says “the [law] is good, but we must go further”.
If we recognise the Inquiry’s report, as we've all suggested in our amendments, we must reject the HRA’s amendment. However, I commend the Labour group for their amendment, which I believe in fact improves on the motion.
Mr Mayor, the tragedy of Grenfell is a reminder to us all of what happens when people in positions of power and responsibility fail to respect the duty that comes with their role.
As we vote, I think back to that young man in the cladding company. Afraid to stand up to those in authority. Afraid to challenge the status-quo. A man who, in his own words, focused on his career first.
Mr Mayor, we are not in this chamber to tow the line, retain the status-quo, or to protect our political careers.
We are in this chamber to lead, we are in the chamber this evening to commit to updating the Local Plan, to go above and beyond.