Trevor

2021-02-10 14:47:45

Mr Halfon’s attempt to link criticism of his abstaining from a parliamentary motion of Grenfell to a snipe at the council raising Council Tax as a means of ‘distracting from the problems they face’, is (shamefully) the pot calling the kettle black. Here’s why. He argues that there is legislation coming on housing and cladding in the next few weeks. However, the reality is that this legislation is many years too late. It took the deaths of 70 people to bring it about. Nobody likes paying more Council Tax and it’s easy for Harlow’s Conservative opposition to claim the council is inefficient promoting a fantasy that cuts and more cuts to services will somehow make things better. They don’t. Sadly, the terrible loss of life in the Grenfell tower block is an example of how slashing or simply failing to enhance health and safety, based on the right-wing ideology of cuts, deregulation and privatisation to help big corporations make bigger profits can end in tragedy. In this instance cuts in funding to the fire and rescue services had an impact. By 2018, there were 11,000 fewer firefighters in England than there were in 2010. Do you feel safer? These cuts resulted in fire prevention teams being unable to keep up with requests for inspections from planning departments. In turn, fire legislation was out of date. Four separate Conservative government ministers were warned that fire regulations were not keeping people safe. Very simply, people living in tower blocks like Grenfell Tower were "at risk". The government promised a review of fire regulations in 2013, but nothing happened. Why? Because ministers had no interest in updating fire or any other health and safety regulations because, at that time, David Cameron, was championing a ‘bonfire of regulations’ calling them “an albatross around the neck of British businesses”. It is a theme continued by Boris Johnson, who has said that “health and safety fears are making Britain a safe place for extremely stupid people”. The victims of Grenfell were not stupid, they had identified a raft of concerns about fire safety as early as 2014. They concerns were repeatedly ignored by the private company appointed by their council to manage the tower block with a brief to cut costs to the bone. But aren’t there building inspectors? Surely, they should have picked up the highly flammable aterials used in not just Grenfell but many other blocks around the country? Such inspections used to be carried out by public officials who could provide an independent judgements on safety (ie free of the influence of developers and building companies). Much of their work has since been privatised. A privatised building control service cannot be trusted not to turn blind eyes. In a highly competitive market, you could be forgiven in thinking that you don’t win clients and and make profits by making waves for your clients eg pointing out fire safety being compromised. The Conservative government let building control become a mess. In turn, because of cuts in funding nobody could police it and unscrupulous property developers along with builders and their suppliers flagrantly sought to get round the rules on safety, and in particular cladding manufacturers who knowingly sold products that were not fit for purpose. And now other scandalous finds are being made, buildings where other fire prevention measures are inadequate or missing. Cuts, we must make cuts, the private sector can do things cheaper and better is the mantra! The victims of Grenfell Tower didn’t just die. Austerity, outsourcing and deregulation killed them. Thank God we have wise heads on our council who know that cutting council tax isn’t wise.