As you know, the Council declared a housing emergency in June 2023. The availability of housing was being cited by communities and businesses as the number one challenge that they face. It’s an issue for people who don’t have a home of their own or a home suitable for their needs and it’s an issue when people can’t take up a job offer because they can’t find somewhere to live. This affects the ability to deliver essential services and limits economic growth.
Whilst the need for more houses is clear this isn’t the only housing issue we face. Increasingly more people are finding themselves in temporary accommodation for longer or living in housing that is poor. This has significant impacts on health and wellbeing.
I wanted to focus today on a book I read (actually I listened to it, a benefit of the travelling I do) recently. “Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen” by Peter Apps is an in-depth and devastating account of the Grenfell Tower Fire and the evidence that emerged during the inquiry. The fire claimed the lives of 72 people.
Key areas explored in the book include:
- System negligence, deregulation and a lack of oversight.
- Corporate failings, poor accountability and a focus on profit.
- Failings in regulation and enforcement.
The issues that in local government we need to reflect on are:
Ignored warnings
Residents’ concerns and warning were repeatedly ignored. Some were badged as troublemakers and dismissed. Grenfell Tower, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was home to lower income residents and a higher proportion of minority groups compared to other parts of the area and to what extent did this result in them being marginalised.
A tendency to favour the status quo
Residents were advised to stay put in the event of a fire. Learning from fires in other blocks of flats and a failure to consider an inability to bring a fire under control led to evacuation emergency response procedures remaining unchanged.
The impact of broader policy issues
Arguably wider failures in housing policy led to aesthetics, cost-cutting and commercial considerations being prioritised over safety and well-being.
Lack of a holistic, whole system approach
The disaster was undoubtedly the result of numerous failures including those set out above but there were lots of smaller things that were all considered independently. The way the lifts operate in an emergency, the failure of automatic door closing mechanism and the lack of access for emergency vehicles being just some.
The failure to consider the situation from the communities’ perspective in the wake of the disaster
Support could be difficult to access and rehousing residents away from their community often impacted on access to services such as affordable childcare.
You won’t be surprised to hear me highlight how these issues align with our Connect for Success Principles and the Council’s priorities. How we need to work as One Council, continue to learn, base our decisions on data and evidence and to listen to our communities.
Insight from experiences elsewhere, as well as the issues and situations we deal with as a council, underline the Connect for Success ways of working as the right approach for us to take in working effectively together in what are challenging times.
With that in mind, later this month, I will be bringing you updates on how taking the Connect for Success approach is already helping various services get things done, and how it can be embedded further into our day-to-day work for everyone’s benefit.
As always if you have any questions you are welcome to contact me at workingtogether@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Pippa
Pippa Milne
Chief Executive
