A national crisis fund

SIR – The Grenfell Tower fire was a shocking, unprecedented event which forced us at the British Red Cross, as well as other emergency responders, to learn hard lessons about how we support people in times of crisis.

In the year since the tragedy, the British Red Cross and other voluntary organisations have been working together to ensure that we will be better coordinated in a future national emergency. This includes working with the Charity Commission to explore establishing a national fund for emergencies so that the public can feel confident their donations will get to their intended destination as quickly as possible.

With partner organisations, the British Red Cross is also working towards setting up a single support line so that people affected by an emergency know where to go for information 24 hours a day. We are also using our international expertise to see how we can provide cash-based assistance as part of our crisis response in Britain.

We need the Government to support these initiatives, both through resourcing and by ensuring that statutory bodies are guided to work more closely with the voluntary sector and community groups when crisis strikes. The Government must also guarantee that people’s crisis needs are met immediately, regardless of their legal and employment status.

In times of national emergency, government, statutory bodies, charities and grassroots community groups must act as one, and act swiftly to put people’s needs first.

Mike Adamson

Chief Executive, British Red Cross London EC2