Homeless criticise meeting ‘disrespect’
THE JUDGE who has been appointed to lead the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire has expressed doubt that the probe will be broad enough to satisfy all survivors of the blaze.
Sir Martin Moore-Bick travelled to the site of the disaster in north Kensington in London yesterday morning, later meeting those who escaped the inferno. The judge hailed the meeting with survivors as “very useful” and expressed optimism that an interim report could be produced within a year.
However, he added: “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.”
Survivors and victims’ families will be consulted about the terms of reference of the inquiry into the blaze, which left at least 80 people dead.
Calls had been made for initial findings into the fire’s cause to be published amid concerns that the inquiry could take years.
Theresa May claimed “no stone will be left unturned” by the probe as she confirmed Sir Martin’s appointment. The Prime Minister told MPs she expects Sir Martin will “want to produce an interim report as early as possible” to address the immediate lessons that need to be learned from the disaster.
Referring to a more widereaching examination of the Grenfell blaze, Sir Martin said: “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 also addressed concerns that his ruling on a housing case in November 2014 would cause issues for the inquiry. In the proceedings he had sided with Westminster City Council’s decision that mother-of-five Titina Nzolameso should be rehoused 50 miles away. His ruling was later overturned in the Supreme Court.
With permanent accommodation for the tower’s residents being an urgent concern, there were fears that his involvement in the case could inflame sensitivities.
Sir Martin said: “I was rather surprised to see myself described as controversial. The case is one of many that I have decided over my time as a judge. I have been a judge for over 20 years and, particularly in the Court of Appeal, one deals with an enormous range of work, much of which involves local government or central government.
“One simply reaches the conclusion that you think is right, applying the law as you see it, and that is the work of a judge. You can’t pretend to get every case right, at least in the eyes of the Supreme Court.”
Scepticism about the inquiry had already been flagged by several residents who met Sir Martin yesterday. His background as a specialist in commercial law was cited as a reason why some saw him as too “technical”.
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?
“Why, where, what have been proved to be legitimate concerns presented as fear-mongering. Can a technical insurance man like that deliver those answers? I don’t think so.”
His neighbour, Jamal Williams, added: “There needs to be a separate focus on social housing and systemic failures and I don’t know if that is coming out of this.”
But Olesea Matcovschi, the Lancaster West Residents Association’s chairwoman, was more optimistic, stating the community will “work closely” with Sir Martin. A COUPLE left homeless by the Grenfell Tower fire have said failure to invite all survivors to a consultation about the public inquiry was “disrespectful”.
Jason Miller and Corinne Jones escaped the 17th floor of the burning block with their two children and have since been living like “refugees” in emergency accommodation.
Yesterday morning Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the judge leading the forthcoming probe, met a handful of residents to discuss the investigation. Many who lived in Grenfell Tower were unaware of the meeting and few had confidence in the outcome of the inquiry, Mr Miller said.
The 37-year-old said: “The first we heard about the meeting was when my partner spoke to someone from a law firm who said the judge would be visiting the tower and she asked fellow residents if they knew that and no-one knew about it.
“Not being aware as residents of the tower, we found that a bit disrespectful. We have reservations about the judge as well and previous cases he has presided over because it has related to people in social housing.”
Controversy about Sir Martin’s appointment to the role began brewing when it emerged he had ruled a mother-of-five had to move 50 miles away from her home in 2014.
“Hearing that was like salt in the wounds,” Mr Miller said. “I have not been confident about the outcome of this, a lot of people from the tower have concerns.”