It is time for Grenfell Tower to come down

The government’s decision to demolish the remaining hulk of the Grenfell Tower, announced on Wednesday evening by Angela Rayner at a meeting of victims’ families and survivors, has inevitably attracted mixed views and controversy.

Grenfell United – an amalgamation of groups representing survivors and the bereaved families of Grenfell – immediately issued a statement, saying there had been a lack of meaningful consultation with those closely affected by the fire. They alleged that the Deputy Prime Minister could not give a reason for demolishing the tower and that she ‘refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation.’ 

However, another prominent group, Grenfell Next of Kin (GNOK) representing the families of those who perished in the Tower, has taken a more conciliatory line. Their statement following the Rayner meeting gave a very different view of the way the government had handled the consultation process: ‘It is a deeply sensitive decision and one that came after a thorough engagement process.’