Residents concerned scope of blaze inquiry ‘too narrow’

Judge warns survivors may not get the answers they are seeking

A forthcoming inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire might not be broad enough to satisfy all survivors, the judge leading the probe has warned.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick suggested the focus of his investigation would likely be limited to the cause of the fire, why it spread and how it could be prevented in future.

Misgivings soon followed, with several residents, including one woman who lost her 12-year-old cousin in the fire, accusing it of being too “narrow”.

Sir Martin travelled to the site of the disaster in north Kensington yesterday morning, later meeting those who escaped the inferno.

Afterwards, he said: “I’ve been asked to undertake this inquiry on the basis that it would be pretty well limited to the problems surrounding the start of the fire and its rapid development in order to make recommendations about how this sort of thing can be prevented in future.

“I’m well aware the residents and the local people want a much broader investigation and I can fully understand why they would want that, whether my inquiry is the right way in which to achieve that I’m more doubtful.

“I will give that some thought and in due course give a recommendation, but there may be other ways in which the desire for that investigation could be satisfied.”

The judge hailed the meeting with survivors as “very useful” and expressed optimism an interim report could be produced within a year.

Calls had been made for initial findings into the cause of the fire to be published amid mounting concerns that the inquiry could take years.

Resident Joe Delaney, 37, said Sir Martin “seems a genuine guy” but added: “He seems to want to keep the scope very narrow, to do with why the fire spread so quickly, while we are more looking at why was it started in the first place, why were residents ignored?”

Hours after Sir Martin formally took the helm of the inquiry, the process was cited as a reason why the crisis-hit council had to abandon its first cabinet meeting since the blaze.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which has come in for heavy criticism over its handling of the fire, abruptly ended a gathering of senior councillors after journalists received a court order permitting them entry to the room.

Under-fire leader Nicholas PagetBrown claimed the cabinet could not sit publicly as doing so could threaten the inquiry.

He said: “I’m told the press are here as a result of legal intervention, that therefore means we cannot have a discussion as we were intending to have as that would prejudice the public inquiry.”

Chaos ensued as the leader attempted to leave the room, with Labour councillor Robert Atkinson, whose ward includes Grenfell Tower, furiously admonishing him.

He yelled: “An absolute fiasco, this is why I am calling for your resignation.”

“Our reputation is absolutely in the gutter,” another councillor said.

Picture: PA. Retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who will lead the Grenfell Tower fire public inquiry, leaving St Clement’s Church near to the tower block in London.