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Grenfell bereaved hope political promises ring true

BBC An image of the Grenfell Tower lit up in green against the backdrop of a night sky in London on Wednesday night, with people gathered at the baseBBC

Family, friends and neighbours of the 72 people who died in the Grenfell fire disaster gathered quietly at the foot of the tower on Wednesday night to release green heart-shaped balloons in memory of each of those lives lost.

People there said they were sceptical about whether the government would deliver the Grenfell Tower public inquiry’s recommendations and whether local government’s attitude to people in social housing would truly change.

In its usual approach on big days to do with Grenfell, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council did not do interviews.

Instead, its Conservative leader, Elizabeth Campbell, apologised and promised to “learn from criticisms”.

On Wednesday, the six-year public inquiry's damning final report blamed the disaster on "dishonest" companies and a chain of failures by governments.

A cladding manufacturer “deliberately concealed” fire risks, while coalition and Conservative governments “ignored, delayed or disregarded” concerns, the report found.

It also said the local council had shown a “persistent indifference” to fire safety and the needs of vulnerable residents.

At a rally outside Kensington Town Hall on Hornton Street, it was clear that some here still thought the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council was not listening to the needs of less affluent residents in a London borough with extremes of rich and poor.

The new Labour MP, Joe Powell, who beat the Conservatives to take the new Kensington and Bayswater seat two months ago at the general election, said he was proud the report had praised the work of local community groups.

About a dozen people are pictured gathered outside Kensington Town Hall after the long-awaited report into the Grenfell Tower fire was published on Wednesday. Some are holding banners and posters, but most are looking towards one woman at the front who is speaking.
People gathered outside Kensington Town Hall after the long-awaited report into the Grenfell Tower fire was published

The delay in getting to this point has added to the collective trauma of this community.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told me he understood the “frustration at the delay”.

But, Mr Khan insisted, he would work closely with the new Labour government to make buildings safe and supported the police with their investigations.

Those affected by this tragedy will hope that political promises ring true and that justice, in the form of convictions for those responsible, is eventually delivered.

The Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reiterated that no charges would be announced until late 2026 at the earliest because of the increasing “scale and complexity” of the inquiry.

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