:00:00. > :00:19.Good evening and welcome to BBC London News, I'm Sonja Jessup.
:00:20. > :00:22.It's among the many questions being asked about the Grenfell
:00:23. > :00:24.fire in Kensington, could the Government have done
:00:25. > :00:26.more to learn lessons from previous tower block blazes?
:00:27. > :00:29.There's been criticism that warnings were ignored following the fatal
:00:30. > :00:33.fire at Lakanal House seven years ago.
:00:34. > :00:36.Today, former fire Minister Bob Neill insisted it was up to local
:00:37. > :00:42.Here's our political editor Tim Donovan.
:00:43. > :00:46.Inside, slow and painstaking recovery work continues,
:00:47. > :00:49.but many questions about what might have prevented this fire are now
:00:50. > :00:52.focused on what happened here at Lakanal House in Southwark
:00:53. > :01:02.And recommendations on safety measures like cladding and
:01:03. > :01:04.sprinklers. The fire minister at the time
:01:05. > :01:07.of the inquest was challenged today The inquest reported
:01:08. > :01:11.after I left Government, but I know that my successor wrote
:01:12. > :01:16.to all social housing providers and local authorities,
:01:17. > :01:20.drawing attention to the findings, and also guidance was issued
:01:21. > :01:23.in 2014 on fighting fires Meanwhile, there have been calls
:01:24. > :01:30.from one Labour MP who lost a friend in the fire for police to act
:01:31. > :01:32.urgently so that no The police should be seizing
:01:33. > :01:38.computers, documents and ensuring that both the criminal investigation
:01:39. > :01:40.and the public enquiry can go But questions over safety
:01:41. > :01:44.have quickly become part of wider criticisms
:01:45. > :01:50.about money and priorities. The council here has nearly
:01:51. > :01:53.?300 million in reserves. We have austerity across the country
:01:54. > :02:00.and some in Kensington and Chelsea. The council has been keeping money
:02:01. > :02:03.rather than using it Ministers lined up to
:02:04. > :02:09.defend the council today. It is unprecedented
:02:10. > :02:13.and absolutely harrowing. The Council did the best
:02:14. > :02:16.they could with massive The council's service
:02:17. > :02:19.to its customers at the time of their greatest need is very
:02:20. > :02:23.much under scrutiny. People need to know that council
:02:24. > :02:26.officials have been working around I've come on air to support the work
:02:27. > :02:32.they are doing. I am sure there are challenges
:02:33. > :02:36.and we will look at all of that, but to say that the local authority
:02:37. > :02:39.is not present and we are not working together with other
:02:40. > :02:41.councils is inaccurate. But he and the council now find
:02:42. > :02:44.themselves under immense pressure over both their actions before
:02:45. > :02:46.and after what happened As you say, the council
:02:47. > :02:59.is coming in for a lot Ministers are going out of their way
:03:00. > :03:02.not to criticise the council but a desperate come clear that it was
:03:03. > :03:09.overwhelmed by the scale of what it had to do in the first hours, 24-36
:03:10. > :03:15.hours. The government sending the task force of civil servants and one
:03:16. > :03:18.Labour Empey said, -- one Labour Empey said, if this had been a
:03:19. > :03:25.Labour Empey, this would have been tantamount to a hit squad. There's a
:03:26. > :03:29.mutual aid agreement, the city London Corporation chief executive,
:03:30. > :03:35.and so chief executive involved and also Southwark's involved. It is the
:03:36. > :03:38.Southwark chief executive who has put out a statement as part of a new
:03:39. > :03:41.group this evening saying they know the initial response was not good
:03:42. > :03:45.enough on the ground and she is talking through the priorities and
:03:46. > :03:52.saying that housing will be the main one and revealing that they will be
:03:53. > :03:59.completing assessments of those who need house the -- who need housing
:04:00. > :04:01.and they are according other people to come forward if they haven't.
:04:02. > :04:03.Thanks for joining us. Today prayers have been said
:04:04. > :04:06.for those affected by the fire, at church services, and by members
:04:07. > :04:08.of the Muslim community. The Dean of Kensington is among
:04:09. > :04:21.local faith leaders who've been This week has done a few things for
:04:22. > :04:24.me, it has given me a real love for the people of North Kensington. It
:04:25. > :04:30.has also made me realise that not only do we do that kind of with
:04:31. > :04:33.prayers and financially, but we do this politically and we speak up for
:04:34. > :04:35.people who feel like nobody listens to them.
:04:36. > :04:38.Just time for a quick look at the weather before we go.
:04:39. > :04:43.Another very warm and muggy night - temperatures only falling to 16C.
:04:44. > :04:46.Another hot and sunny day tomorrow - a top
:04:47. > :04:51.And that heat continues for the next few days.
:04:52. > :04:55.Asad Ahmad will be back tomorrow morning with our