Our response to news about the demolition of Grenfell Tower
Yesterday (February 5, 2025) the government met with bereaved relatives and survivors from the Grenfell Tower fire. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced a decision to demolish the tower. A formal announcement by the government is expected tomorrow (Friday).
Our thoughts are with everyone who is hearing and processing this information today. Grenfell Tower represents so many things. It was a community and a neighbourhood where hundreds of people lived and where, on 14 June, 2017, 72 people lost their lives.
Nearly eight years on, the decision to dismantle the tower is a sensitive moment. For some it provides relief and closure. For others, it’s extremely difficult to accept. We must hear everyone’s views and voices.
The Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCS Emergencies Partnership) was founded in the aftermath of the fire, as an early acknowledgement of the need to build better trust, understanding and connection between the voluntary and community sector (VCS), the statutory sector, and communities themselves.
Through our close partnership with the London Resilience Unit, and the London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) (which we co-direct with London Plus) we’ll continue to work hard to make sure London’s diverse communities are at the heart of resilience building and emergency planning, response and recovery.
Lessons from the Grenfell Tower fire must be turned into actions, challenging and changing support systems so they work better to empower and protect communities from events like this in the future.
For anyone who needs it, today, here are some sources of support:
WE ARE GRENFELL UNITED | Grenfell United