The government response immediately after the fire has been heavily scrutinised. But it is not only the cause of the fire being questioned but also how the local councils and government responded:
The government responded swiftly to 7/7 bombings. What went wrong at Grenfell Tower? (a story from The Guardian )
Since the catastrophic fire at Grenfell Tower there has been mounting criticism of the government’s response and support for survivors, which has appeared haphazard, poorly coordinated and singularly lacking in leadership. The prime minister acknowledged that support on the ground and basic information for people affected was not good enough. It is vital that any public inquiry examines the response and support since the fire.
It is worth exploring how central and local government responses compare with what happened after the London bombings on 7 July 2005. Within two days of the immediate emergency response to the 2005 incidents, which involved three synchronised terrorist attacks on the London underground and a fourth bomb on a bus an hour later, the decision was made by the Gold Coordinating Committee at Scotland Yard to open a family assistance centre. This was the first time such a centre had been established anywhere in Europe, although much had been learned from the 9/11 response in New York.
The centre opened on Saturday 9 July, at the Queen Mother sports centre on Vauxhall Bridge Road. The facility was a police-led initiative, managed by Westminster city council in partnership with key voluntary agencies, including the British Red Cross. Three days later, the centre relocated to the Horticultural Halls in Vincent Square, from where it operated for six weeks.
On the same day, a charitable relief fund was established, launched by the then mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and again the Red Cross managed the fund on behalf of the Greater London Authority. A telephone support line was set up by the Red Cross two days later and operated for six weeks before transferring to a scaled-down assistance centre. Despite the lack of experience with an emergency of this scale or nature, the response was rapid, coordinated and largely coherent.
In contrast, the response to the Grenfell fire appeared chaotic, with little apparent support or information provided by Kensington and Chelsea council, and with charities and civilian volunteers apparently taking the initiative. ‘The helpline is hopeless’: Grenfell relatives criticise lack of information
