'Transparency Must Be Matched by Real Accountability' after Grenfell, writes Joe Powell MP
14 May 2025, 14:50
Next month will mark eight years since the Grenfell Tower fire, which took 72 lives in an entirely preventable and foreseeable tragedy.
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I understand how frustrated bereaved and survivors are at the slow progress towards justice, with no prospect of charges until next year from the police investigation. Like Hillsborough families before them, and many others affected by tragedies involving the state, the pace of change and accountability is far too slow.
One of the key reforms needed is to our Public Inquiry system. I’m pleased the Government has committed to implementing the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry that call for major changes to construction regulations and fire safety. But we know that too often, Public Inquiries have not led to real change. That’s why today, the Committee I serve on in parliament has made clear that there must be independent oversight to make sure those changes actually happen and another Grenfell-style fire is prevented.
On 26th February, the Government issued its official response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry — a painful but necessary step toward truth, justice, and meaningful change. I welcome the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to implementing the Inquiry's recommendations. As the MP for Kensington and Bayswater — the constituency where the fire took place — I stand ready to work with Ministers and local government to ensure those commitments translate into tangible change for the community.
But history shows that we cannot rely on commitments alone. After the 2009 Lakanal House fire, coroners made clear recommendations to improve building safety. Those recommendations were ignored, and the cost of that inaction was Grenfell. This pattern of failure is not unique, and it cannot continue.
That’s why today, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee — on which I sit — has called on the Government to implement a National Oversight Mechanism: an independent body responsible for tracking and enforcing the implementation of recommendations from public inquiries, inquests, and select committees.
Currently, there is no formal system to ensure that recommendations are followed through. Too often, this means public bodies fall short, leaving bereaved families and survivors to shoulder the burden of fighting for change. The Grenfell Inquiry rightly called for a publicly accessible record of recommendations, which the Government has accepted. This is an essential first step — but transparency must be matched by real accountability.
A National Oversight Mechanism would not remove the Government’s discretion to reject a recommendation — but it would require Ministers to provide a clear, reasoned explanation when they do. This level of scrutiny is essential to rebuilding public trust — in my community and across the country — and ensuring that commitments lead to change.
Our Committee has also set out a series of urgent actions. We’re calling on the Government to strengthen the Building Safety Regulator by increasing staffing and capacity to address delays in certifying buildings — delays that put lives at risk and slow the delivery of much-needed safe and affordable homes.
We’ve urged Ministers to guarantee funding for Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans for disabled residents, so that everyone, regardless of disability, has a safe way to escape in an emergency.
There must be meaningful engagement with bereaved families and survivors before any decisions are made about the future of the Grenfell Tower site or the Inquiry process. We also call for continued oversight — and genuine culture change — at Kensington and Chelsea Council, because too many residents, especially in social housing, still feel ignored and excluded from decisions that affect their lives.
For eight long years, the survivors and bereaved of Grenfell have stood with dignity and resilience in the face of unimaginable loss. They should not still be fighting — for basic safety, for answers, and for justice. We owe it to them to get this right — and to ensure their courage leads to lasting change.
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Joe Powell is the Member of Parliament of Kensington & Bayswater and sits on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Commitee in the House of Commons.
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