The Grenfell Tower tragedy has been devastating for those who have lost loved ones, friends and homes, and I would like to pay tribute to our emergency services who have done an outstanding job in the most difficult of circumstances.
The Government has announced a new £5 million Grenfell Tower Residents' Discretionary Fund which will be made available to help those who had to flee their homes in the middle of the night leaving their possessions behind. People who lost their homes in the disaster must be rehoused at the earliest possible opportunity, and significant Government support has been sent to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The Queen's Speech also set out further measures the Government will take to support victims.
The Prime Minister has ordered a full public inquiry, in line with the Inquiries Act, to ascertain the causes and ensure that the appropriate lessons are learnt. It is imperative that the voices of residents and victims' families are heard, and therefore the Government will provide funding for their legal representation to make sure this happens.
People who lost their homes in the disaster must be rehoused at the earliest possible opportunity and the aim is to do this within 3 weeks at the latest. The Prime Minister has guaranteed that people will be rehoused as close as practically possible to where they previously lived, so they can continue to access the same public services such as their local school or local GP. Furthermore, until people are rehoused, the cost of temporary accommodation will be met on their behalf, and the Government will provide any necessary financial assistance to families who have been rehoused so children and their parents do not incur any extra costs travelling to school.
Additionally, the Treasury is working with banks to ensure those affected who lost possessions like bank cards still have access to their accounts and the Department for Work and Pensions is working with local job centres to ensure that those affected have access to the benefits and pensions they would normally receive.
Locally, I have written to Helen McHale, Chief Executive at Stockport Homes and Ms Caroline Simpson, Corporate Director at Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council to enquire what action they are taking to ensure the safety of residents, particularly in multi-height dwellings in the Borough's housing stock. Furthermore, Gill Bennett, Head of Business Excellence at Stockport Council has written to me outlining the actions that will, or have already, been taken.
Ms Bennett advises that all of the twenty-two tower blocks in Stockport have a valid fire risk assessment, and these are currently undertaken every five years, however given the recent events Stockport Homes aim to carry out a new assessment on every block before the end of August. In addition, they have committed to carrying out assessments every three years.
Finally, I am clear that we should be trying to learn lessons from this awful tragedy, rather than seeking to make political capital from it. I have been alarmed at how much focus there has been by some elements on somehow turning this into an attack on the Government. The focus should be on support for the victims and their families, and trying to ensure they can get back to their lives as soon as they possibly can.
