Bob Earll     The Grenfell Tower episode has revealed systematic failings in many areas but seems to me symptomatic of many issues covered routinely by water and environmental interests. This week’s CMS water news reinforces these points on flooding and social deprivation and water abstraction. Now Michael Gove the chief cheer leader for denigrating ‘experts’ is ‘leading’ Defra. Think about this Governments response to: 

SuDS – How many more reports by flooding experts do we need to implement a piece of Government legislation delayed since 2008? 

Air quality – how many times does Government have to be taken to court before delivers a decent plan to tackle this? 

Water abstraction     God knows when Government will grip this 

Fracking – Despite the lowest public support of any energy type, and bans in Scotland and Germany this Government is persisting with supporting fracking. Five paragraphs were given over to it in the Conservative manifesto; there were two on all other energy sources. We will have to wait for the Queens Speech to see if this is on the agenda for the next two years.

The Grenfell catalogue of failures makes dismal reading:

• Of national Government (for England) failing to respond to repeated claims to address fire regulations; cutting red tape – the two out for one new rule was still in the Conservative manifesto. Despite appeals by Parliamentary committees on this subject over many years still no plans for the plan review of building regulations.
• Of local Government, Kensington & Chelsea, cutting back investment and red tape who could not even amount an emergency response which has now been taken over by external authorities       Just as well Kensington and Chelsea doesn’t flood often
• Of outsourced agencies and contractors with muddied chains of responsibility which lead to the penny pinching on the cladding to save £5000 in at £8m spend!