Grenfell must never happen again
THE revelation from the police that the cladding and insulation material used in the Grenfell Tower block had failed safety tests is a shocking development in a still unfolding human tragedy.
That simply shouldn’t have been allowed to happen and clearly, as the police themselves have indicated, it is likely to have serious repercussions.
It isn’t for me to prejudge any legal steps which may now be taken forward – and in any case the most pressing priority is to take all possible steps to make sure that no similar disaster can happen anywhere else.
That means checks on buildings across the country to identify any possible risks when it comes to building materials such as cladding in high-rise residential buildings.
Those checks have been under way across Scotland, and all of our councils have indicated there are no local authority-owned high rises with the type of cladding material used at Grenfell. The same goes for social rented sector tower blocks.
Checks are also ongoing to ensure there are no privately owned highrises with the cladding in question.
Grenfell was a tragedy on an almost unbelievable scale, the effects of which will linger for many, many, years to come. It should never have happened. And it mustn’t ever be allowed to happen again.