Deathtrap tragedy so easily avoided
The Mirror is right to say the Grenfell Tower disaster shames our nation ( June 16). It should not have happened in this day and age, and is a potent symbol of the gross inequality in our society.
It is the fault of successive governments that public housing has been low on the list of priorities for those in Westminster. And it has taken a disaster of this scale and substantial loss of life for something to be done, despite the efforts of residents of the tower block warning that the place was a deathtrap.
Those who have lost their loved ones and their homes are right to be angry. I am angry for them. We will not be satisfied with platitudes and empty rhetoric, Mrs May.
Funds must be made available by central Government to rehouse the victims of this tragedy within the community and also to make all tower blocks safe. J Walker, Salford, Gtr Manchester The fire at Grenfell Tower need never have happened. Both the councils and Government are to blame for shoddy and unsafe social housing. The interests of greedy developers seemingly take precedence over the public’s interests and safety. The Government has weakened legislation relating to construction, so how does this help people? This simply encourages exploitation by developers. We need good quality social housing with independent safety checks. Meanwhile, full-time firefighters are deemed unnecessary by this cost-cutting Government, so fire departments are advertising for part-time staff. What a joke! Marguerite Kramer, Dovercourt Essex In the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster there are rumblings about cutting corners in the refurbishment of the ill-fated tower block. If this turns out to be true it will be the catalyst for rebellion against continuing austerity measures felt by the working classes.
We have education cuts, NHS cuts, wage freezes and a Prime Minister who chooses not to meet local residents and victims of the Grenfell fire. Whatever the reason for this tragedy, it could so easily have been avoided. Diane Silva, Lytham, Lancs We don’t yet know the true cause of the fire at Grenfell Tower but was it, at least in part, caused by cutbacks to services? Did outsourcing the refurbishment of this building put profit before safety?
Was the cladding not of the highest fireproof quality and, most importantly of all, why were the residents’ concerns about fire safety not listened to by the council? Valerie Crews, Beckenham, Kent Money may not have been spent on proper safety in this tower block, yet £369million of taxpayers’ funds will be spent on the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, just a couple of miles away from North Kensington. Something is wrong when the basic health and safety of people is forgotten, yet millions are spent so the royals can live in opulence. Linda Martin, Witham, Essex A public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster could take years. The Government should force local councils to follow the recommendations from the prior coroner’s inquests now. Marc Green, Leatherhead Surrey