Grenfell Tower: Government considers pulling down tower block

The fire at the tower block in west London in 2017 claimed 72 lives

The government has said that it needs to consider if and when Grenfell Tower should be "carefully" taken down.

In a letter posted on social media, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would be at least a year before any decision was implemented.

This would be after the fifth anniversary of the the blaze in west London that claimed 72 lives, it added.

The letter also said "views of the community" would be taken into account.

Signed by Alistair Watters, director of the Grenfell site and programme at the MHCLG, the letter said: "Following important advice from structural engineers about the condition of the tower, we need to consider this summer if, and when, the tower should be carefully taken down to maintain safety.

"This is so that we can plan for this as part of the ongoing safety works taking place within the tower," it added.

The government said it needed to plan "ongoing safety works taking place within the tower"

"I want to reassure you that it will be at least a year before we begin to implement any decision, which means there will be no change to the tower before the fifth anniversary in 2022. The work of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will continue during this period."

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The letter, dated 7 May, said that people would be invited to in-person and online meetings this month to hear from the MHCLG's Grenfell site team and structural engineers.

It added: "We want to ensure bereaved families, survivors and residents have access to the information that will inform a decision on the tower before it is made."

'Deeply let down'

The letter comes as Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved relatives, said it felt "deeply let down" that the Social Housing White Paper was not in the Queen's Speech, which happened earlier on Tuesday.

The Queen announced that ministers would establish in law a new building safety regulator to "ensure that the tragedies of the past are never repeated".

In a statement, Grenfell United said: "We have been deeply let down by the government excluding the Social Housing White Paper from the Queen's Speech.

"Ministers have missed a massive opportunity to help right some wrongs for social housing tenants across the country.

"We have waited long enough for change. We are just a month away from the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell fire."

The group added: "Ministers must remember how neglect of tenants had contributed to the catastrophe that killed 72 of our loved ones and neighbours, and commit to doing the right thing."

A spokesperson for the MHCLG said the government was "bringing forward the biggest improvements to building safety standards in a generation, alongside major reforms to support tenants.

"This includes our Charter for Social Housing Residents, that will provide faster and more effective redress for residents, strengthen consumer regulation and improve the quality and safety of social housing."

They added that the government "remains committed to legislating as soon as practicable but we are already driving forward implementation of the Charter so that residents don't have to wait to see a real difference on the ground".