The publication of the official report on the cause of the Grenfell Tower tragedy has been postponed once more and may not be available until the middle of the following year, a full seven years after the fatal fire at the residential complex claimed the lives of 72 individuals.
Initially, there was hope to publish the report in the autumn, but it was later postponed to early next year. Now, it is possible that it will not be released until summer. This delay also means that potential charges for manslaughter, fraud, and health and safety violations will be pushed back, and it is unlikely that any trials will begin until late 2025 or possibly 2026.
The public inquiry for the Grenfell Tower has stated that notifying all individuals who may receive criticism in the final report is taking longer than expected.
This is partly due to the fact that it creates replies that need to be evaluated in order to determine if the inquiry’s chair, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, should revise his findings or the manner in which he conveyed them.
The investigation gathered information for a duration of four and a half years and concluded with its last hearings in November 2022.
The Metropolitan police have stated that they will wait for the complete inquiry report before submitting evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for potential charges. These charges may include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, and health and safety violations.
and the response of the emergency services
The initial stage of the investigation, which revealed the events of the fire incident, released its findings in 2020. The subsequent phase delves into the decision-making process of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to use plastic-filled cladding panels, which acted as fuel for the fire. It also examines the involvement of the construction industry, regulators, and government, as well as the actions taken by emergency services.
The book contains sections discussing the events of the refurbishment of the building, including the use of flammable cladding panels, the reactions of government officials, and the readiness of the London Fire Brigade. These sections are complete and have resulted in warning letters being sent to those who were criticized. However, there are still sections that need to be completed, such as those examining the involvement of product manufacturers, certification bodies, and the conduct of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenants Management Organisation, which managed the tower for the borough of west London.
The inquiry provided an update on Friday stating that the report will not be released until at least April of next year. However, the panel is aiming to send it to the prime minister before the next anniversary of the fire and publish it shortly after.
The inquiry has gathered a substantial amount of oral and written evidence, resulting in a report that is expected to be thousands of pages long. The drafting process will be a significant time commitment due to the large volume of evidence collected, including nearly 300,000 documents.
Several sections discussing the progress of fire safety measures in building regulations and government involvement have been finished, with others making good progress. However, there is still some writing to be completed. The development of chapters focused on the experimental work done by expert witnesses for the inquiry is not as far along.
Source: theguardian.com
