By Danielle Aumord, HQN Grenfell reporter

The long-awaited Phase 2 report from the Grenfell Tower public inquiry has finally been published, seven years on from the fatal tragedy that saw 72 people lose their lives – and it’s a damning indictment of widespread systemic failures, by government, by the construction industry, by architects and by Grenfell’s social landlord.

Now campaigners are calling for those found to be responsible for the fire to be held to the account and for justice to be delivered through the criminal courts.

“Millions of pounds have been spent on a public inquiry plagued by delays and complexities. Now it must deliver the justice, accountability and change that has been long overdue,” said a spokesperson from campaigning group Justice 4 Grenfell.

“The government must accept and implement all of the inquiry’s recommendations and urgently expediate those aimed at preventing further loss of life. For over seven years, the delays have compounded the pain and frustration felt by survivors, bereaved and the wider Grenfell community within North Kensington.

“It’s crucial that these delays do not further erode trust in the public inquiry process, the criminal investigation or more importantly the state’s ability to protect and serve all of its citizens equally.”

At the time of the Grenfell fire in June 2017, the inquiry report states that “building control was partly in the hands of local authorities and partly in the hands of approved inspectors operating as commercial organisations”.

Enforcement of the law relating to the sale of construction products was carried out by trading standards whilst commercial companies provided testing and certification services to manufacturers of products. UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service) also accredited organisations operating as conformity assessment bodies.

“In our view, this degree of fragmentation was a recipe for inefficiency and an obstacle to effective regulation,” the report said.

One of the key recommendations of the inquiry is that the regulation of the construction industry should be “overseen by a single independent body headed by a construction regulator, reporting to a single secretary of state” so loopholes within the sector that have previously led to inefficient and substandard fire safety tests, can be tightened up.

It’s hoped that through a single independent body headed by the new construction regulator, reporting to a single secretary of state, potential fire safety risks could be nipped in the bud with greater speed.

According to the report, the benefits of this would include more effective information sharing between those responsible for different aspects of the industry, both in the UK and abroad.

It’s also hoped that this approach could promote the exchange of ideas conducive to fire safety and safety within the construction industry overall.

The report recommends that a construction regulator would take on the following functions:

• The regulation of construction products
• The development of suitable methods for testing the reaction to the fire safety of materials and products intended for use in construction
• The testing and certification of such products
• The issuing of compliance certificates of construction products with requirements of legislation, statutory guidance and industry standards
• The regulation and oversight of building control
• The licensing of contractors to work on higher-risk buildings
• Monitoring the operation of the Building Regulations, the statutory guidance and advising the secretary of state on the need for change
• Carrying out research on matters affecting fire safety in the built environment
• Collecting information, both in the UK and abroad, on matters affecting fire safety within the construction industry
• Exchanging information with the fire and rescue services on matters affecting fire safety
• The accreditation of fire risk assessors
• The maintenance of a publicly available library of test data and publications.

Fresh calls have also been made for the recommendations from the Phase 1 inquiry report to be revisited.

At the forefront of the recommendations is the focus upon the need for vulnerable and disabled residents in tower blocks to have personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) provided for them by their landlords.

The inquiry has also made recommendations that fire safety strategies developed within the planning and construction phrases of residential refurbishment or construction projects should take into account the needs of vulnerable and disabled people. This includes the additional time that vulnerable or disabled people may require to leave the building or to reach a place of safety, factoring in any facilities necessary to ensure their safety.

Fifteen of the 37 disabled residents and 17 of the 67 children living at Grenfell Tower at the time of the fire were counted in the death toll, amounting to almost half of those that died in the fatal tragedy.

“The disproportionately high death rates of children and disabled people in the Grenfell Tower fire is truly shocking and heart breaking”, said Fazilet Hadi, UK Head of Policy at Disability Rights.

“Disabled people knew they were sitting ducks should there be a disaster. They raised safety concerns which were dismissed time and again.

“The inquiry has heard from residents who said they were ‘bullied’ and ‘stigmatised’ when they raised such concerns. Disability Rights UK is calling on the government to urgently implement the Grenfell Tower inquiry recommendations, requiring building owners and managing agents to prepare personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled people who can’t self-evacuate.”