#the grenfell tower charity single

[dailytomlinson]

Louis has donated his Doncaster Rovers Jersey to the Grenfell Athletic FC in honour of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

He previously took part of a charity single in 2017 to help raise funds for the victims.

[queenjessiej]

Jessie J behind the scenes of The Grenfell Tower Charity Single recording.

[elceeu2morrow]

what ugly grafitti sneakers 🧐

@crankydee you asked for it! I typically love his sneakers but graffiti and pump sneakers? $760?? I'll pass, thank you very much. 5.4.17

You didn't ask, but these are the other two that I found questionable:

Louis dancing on his tippy toes? Please and thank you. Is it a sneaker? A sock? It's just a no. 12.2.17

Super cute while participating in the Grenfell Towers charity single. Sounds like an angel singing "I will lay me down" but the sneakers that looks like slides are the devil. 6.19.17

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Wed 19 May ‘21

Niall and Anne Marie will be on Roman Kemp’s breakfast show Friday for the release day of Our Song (together! At last!) doing some sort of golf themed interview- “nobody told me it was 8 am” joked Niall, but Roman beat him out for my sympathy vote- “nobody told me it was golf” he shot back. Anne Marie-- “nobody told me it was with you two,” lol. Niall also posted an outfit ‘of the day’ selfie from his elevator but as I no longer trust that those are of the actual day I’m side eyeing it. Cute outfit though I guess, mustard orange shoes and a baby blue jacket.

An unheard 2012 interview with Louis was posted; it’s just the same old 2012 fodder really, but it is interesting to revisit that stuff now with slightly more context and perspective. How strange is it now to listen to Louis talk about things like what he likes in a lady and how to pick up women though? He doesn’t like girls with bad breath he says, or who are cocky (uhhh do you use that word here [in America] he asks, clearly wondering if he’s just blundered into radio unfriendly territory), and he manages to work mention of Harry in there of course; he’d choose him as a wingman because he is “incredible with women. He knows what to say and when to say it.” He talks about the things americans say that he finds strange (and imitates them, love that), says the band “argue about the most ridiculous things, we might argue about what radio stations playing or if someone’s too cold and they got the window down in the car. Like, really stupid petty things” (you say that but this business about the car window being down and making you cold has come up an awful lot of times over the years, I think maybe you DO care about it) and “to be honest, we’re really lucky we’ve never actually had a big argument, arguments last absolutely no time because we’re with each other all the time it’s be silly to hold a grudge,” ugh SAD. In other Louis throwback stuff for today, we learned something new about when he recorded for the Grenfell Towers charity single in 2017; someone said their uncle was a security guard hired at the studio to deal with the 1D fan crowd and that Louis offered to buy all the people working lunch.

Liam posted about the fourth anniversary of the release of Strip That Down with a little video message! He’s looking handsome with a short haircut and said “I remember being in the studio recording this knowing it was going to be my first single” and “a massive thank you and I’ll be looking forward to playing some new songs for you guys again.” And what about that hair? His stylist is proud (as he should be it really does look fantastic) and posted a picture and said “Oops we did it again… New hair for LP today. Shorter. Sharper. Fire.”

And Emma Corrin changed her hair which does seem like a thing someone might do after they were all done filming something, but since she was wearing a wig for her My Policeman role it’s not impossible they could still be filming so; no actual news info there.

[twopoppies]

hi ginna, hope you are well<3 maybe you know the original video where they got this from?

Hi sweetheart. It's from a charity single they made for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

[charitabledirection]

June 14th, 2020: Three years ago the Grenfell Tower fire claimed the lives of 72 people. A few days later there was a mini One Direction reunion when Louis and Liam took part in the recording of Bridge Over Troubled Water, a charity single released in support of the victims ❤️

Here is the single: Bridge Over Troubled Water~Artists for Grenfell

[whtlitewhtheat-blog]

If this doesn't make your heart swell, I imagine you don't have one.

[duchessknowseverything]

"I WILL LAY ME DOWN.. "

[slyhopps]

NO BUT WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON, I just stumbled upon a video from Radio One Lebanon stating that they would reuinte for the Grenfell Tower charity single!??!?! Loads of articles aswell and the tweet by S***n C****l ??? 

[mvdipetsch]

Outside of London; A Guide.

Hello, friends! I think there’s a semi-substantial amount of roleplays based around England, but honestly 90% of them are in London and while that’s great, England is made up of a lot of cities and I figured I’d show some #representation. 

In this guide we cover: Housing in England, location and travel! 

Disclaimer: This is based off of my experience and the experience of those around me. Most of my knowledge is concentrated around Birmingham, as that is where I grew up, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Liverpool so I feel that I have a semi-decent shot at helping out. 

If you found this guide helpful, please reblog this as it helps to show me that there is interest and I’m not just shouting into a void. If you have any suggestions or comments about things I could/should cover in these guides please let me know! Any specific questions? Shoot me an ask and I’ll do my best to help you out. 

Location, Location, Location. 

England is divided into counties. There many of them, and realistically they don’t affect anything. All it really means is that your resources (police, fire, ambulance, charities, etc.) are organised by that one area. For instance - the buses in my city are all organised by Network West Midlands. They deal with every bus service (if it’s an NXBus) in the West Midlands. Ultimately, it doesn’t really affect anything. 

From my city to my university, it’s a 3-ish hour drive. That is a long drive. I know some people regard that as nothing, but when everything is so close together, it’s a lot. It’s not really a drive that people would make a lot - this is why train transport (while not that big) tends to be used to get from city to city. 

Only really in the inner cities are things that expensive. When you move away from the main city, things can get pretty affordable, but the inner city is still often really accessible via bus, driving or even train. When I’m at my boyfriend’s I’ll get the bus into the city centre, but when I’m at my mom’s sometimes it’s quicker to just jump on a train. Train tickets are also pretty inexpensive if you’re moving within the city. It’s when you’re heading to smaller cities that the problems arise. For instance, I can get to London for under £10, and to Liverpool for not much more. However, for me to get from Birmingham (a major city) to my University (a not-so-major city of about 200k) it’s £60+ with a change. On coach, it’s £14 with a change + it takes 5-ish hours (there are direct coaches that cost £30~ which is still significantly cheaper than the train) University students will commonly take a coach to and from their university to their hometown if it’s ridiculously priced. 

The higher north you go, typically the cheaper it is. This is dependent upon where in that city you are, but the general consensus is that north = cheaper. Obviously if you’re in Manchester city centre then it’s going to be a bit more pricey, but the general cost of living / food / etc. is seen to be cheaper the more north you go. A good way to judge how expensive a place is, is by how much the bus fare is. Birmingham bus fare is £4.00 for a daysaver (one ticket, on the bus as much as you like) but when I was in Liverpool I paid something like £1.20 for an U18 ticket. That’s a big difference. (For reference - Birmingham is the smack-bang middle of England. Liverpool is about 2 hours north, near Manchester.) 

Typically, when it comes to travelling; 

Driving

Cars in the UK are predominantly manual (with a gear stick) but we can still get automatic cars. Manual cars are also cheaper than automatic and you can drive an automatic with a manual license but you cannot drive a manual with an automatic license. 

My mom lives seven minutes from her work (she timed it, she’s got no life) but there are people who live up to thirty minutes away and have to take the motorway. This means that if there’s a massive accident, you can sit there for six hours, bored out of your skull

It’s also worth saying that if you live in a/the city centre, you’re not taking your car to work. It’s ridiculously expensive and parking is so few and far between, it’s really not worth it. People can and do drive, but plenty of people will also opt for a train or bus.

Buses

If you don’t drive the bus is often a very viable option. Buses will commonly run from 6:30/7 until 11:30/12 (at least where I am) but you can get night buses or buses that run later, they’re just a bit rare. 

Students (in college or secondary school, typically) are VERY common on buses. As in public buses. Unless someone has an impairment and go to a special school suited to their needs, you make your own way. Which often means that you jump on that bus with every man and his dog. 

Sunday service is real and it’s a pain in the arse. Buses that run every 10-ish minutes during the week drop to 20 between 9 and 5 and then drop to every 30 minutes after that (sometimes even every hour.) This means that if you miss your bus... you can be waiting for a very long time. 

Trains

Train’s are far more common for longer commutes. Also trains aren’t really that common for secondary school students (they either get dropped off in a car, walk or take the bus) but college students can and do take the train. My best friend takes an hour’s train ride to and from her college every day, and a lot of my teachers will get the train to college (my college is in the city centre, so it’s pretty logical.) Regardless, trains aren’t as common. 

Housing

Houses in England are attached. It is rare that you will see detached (stand alone) houses. Most houses will share their walls with their neighbours, unless they’re the end house in which case they’re called “semi-detached” cause... only half of them is attached. That tends to mean that if your neighbours have a baby, you can hear them crying. You can hear when the tv is too loud and all that kind of stuff. 

When you move out, there tends to be a few options in terms of who actually owns where you live. The options normally are:

Council. 

You sign up on the website, the council give you a priority rating and a set amount of points. These points are determined by the people in your household and your needs. A single mother with two kids will get more points than a single person with no dependants.

There is also a ‘bedroom’ tax, which states that you have to pay a tax if you live in a council property and are seen as having more bedrooms than you need. If, for instance you have two children of opposite genders that are aged seven and three, you have to pay extra tax for that third bedroom because it’s deemed as unnecessary. However if you have two children and they’re of different genders and one of them is over the age of ten (10) then you do not have to pay the tax. If they are of the same gender, then it is until one of them is sixteen (16).

Council and Housing Associations are most beneficial to those who are receiving benefits or are not working enough to cover rent by themselves. 

Housing Association

The way a housing association works is effectively the same as a landlord and the council. You apply on the council website for the aforementioned points and begin to bid on properties. When this happens, you may bid on a property that happens to be owned by a HA. The HA then acts as your landlord. HAs are pretty okay, dependent upon the area + such. When you live in a HA, any housing benefit you receive will immediately be paid from the council to the HA. This can cause issues if your money gets fucked up (which is more common than not because the housing system in the UK is BROKEN.) 

Private Rent

Private is when you have a landlord. I mean, that’s pretty self-explanatory really. You have an issue? Call the landlord. I’ve never had a landlord so I can’t really comment much on this. I will say that most landlords likely won’t accept housing benefit as a form of payment.

Private own. 

This is just the whole mortgage, thing. You know how this goes. 

There are a few different types of housing options when it comes to England and I’d imagine that this is pretty true for up and down the city.

Blocks of flats.

Blocks of flats are huge high-rises. They’re not as common anymore but there are still quite a few knocking about. If you remember the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, that was a high-rise. 

Blocks of flats can be owned by the local council or be privately rented. I’ve never lived in a flat, so my knowledge isn’t the best. They all tend to have names and there’s normally at least two together. 

A ‘flat’ is basically an apartment. So it’s a bunch of different flats (which, in high rises, commonly have two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom) High rises have a lot of flats in them. Commonly there’s at least 13 floors, with between around four and six flats per floor. So you can get a lot of people in a high rise. 

Maisonette. 

A maisonette looks like a wide house. It’s normally one to two floors, with flats that have three (or more) bedrooms. Maisonettes are considerably bigger, in terms of the flats inside, and consist of maybe two flats per floor. Maisonettes can also be council, privately rented or housing association. 

Bungalow.

A bungalow is a home without any stairs. They can be council, privately rented or privately owned. Bungalows aren’t that common anymore, but they’re great for people who have difficulty with stairs and such. Also most bungalows are actually pretty decent sizes too. 

Houses.

Houses in the UK are broken down into one of three categories:

Detached

Semi-Detached

Attached

This is literally just based upon how many of your walls are shared with your neighbour. Detached houses are really uncommon in the UK and are usually found in richer areas. Semi-detached is mainly just the house at the end of your street, so semi-detached and attached are the main two. 

Also it’s pretty common that you only have windows of two of the four house walls. Even if you’re in a semi-detached house, you’ll only have front and back windows. 

Houses can be privately owned, privately rented, housing association or council.

Most houses follow a similar layout. Typically three bedrooms, with either one bathroom or a room just for the toilet + then the bathroom (with a bath + sink + such.) It’s also super common for one room to be a ‘box room’ which is normally pretty small. My room at my mom’s house is the ‘box room’ and it fits a 3/4 bed, a chest of draws, and a metal rack that I use as a bookshelf. There is not a lot of room in there. 

And there you have it! I think I covered most things regarding transport and housing in the UK, and I really hope that it was as informative as possible. Stay groovy, my dudes. 

[dracolizardlars]

Absolute worst songs to hear on the radio

Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran

Chandelier - Sia

Despacito

My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel, but this goes DOUBLE for the charity single in aid of victims of the Grenfell Tower Disaster. Good cause, absolutely intolerable song. (Why are charity singles always irredeemably godawful?)

[twelves]

ONE Direction could have a mini-reunion after Simon Cowell asked all of the band to sing on his charity single for the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson were officially confirmed to be recording lines for the celeb cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Harry Styles and Niall Horan are trying to free up their schedules to take part.

The group have been on a break since early 2016, with all four members recently embarking on solo careers.

Yesterday, several music stars started the three-day recording of the record, with Paloma Faith, Craig David and James Blunt all spotted entering the West London recording studio.

More names pledged their support for the track overnight including Rita Ora, Robbie Williams, Leona Lewis and Gareth Malone.

Lily Allen, Skepta, Stormzy, James Arthur and others have already been confirmed.

A source said: “If all four [One Direction] came on board, it would be as solo acts as Liam has to record in the US.”

It comes after Paloma Faith blasted the Government for not doing enough to help victims.

The singer, who visited the devastating scene hours after the blaze took hold, said: “I don’t think £5million even touches the side.”

[peckhampeculiar]

No place to call home

With Britain in the grip of a housing crisis, young people in Peckham and Southwark are more vulnerable to homelessness than ever before. We speak to members of the Southwark Youth Housing Forum to find out what can be done

Words by Emma Finamore

In among the weekly restaurant openings, art exhibitions and Instagram-friendly bars, Peckham’s borough of Southwark is in the grip of one of the worst homelessness crises in the UK, with young people particularly vulnerable.

In 2016 the Southwark Youth Housing Forum was set up to address the issue, and since then it has been working hard to tackle the mounting obstacles faced by young homeless people in the borough, against a backdrop of broader housing concerns that affect those of all ages.

Based at Southwark Council’s housing options services office on Bournemouth Road in Peckham, the forum is made up of relevant youth charities and centres, advice, housing and homelessness organisations, care workers and employment services.

These include Southwark Law Centre, Depaul Charity, the Albert Kennedy Trust – which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans homeless people in crisis – sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Manna Day Centre, among others.  

The forum engages with young homeless people, as well as those who are sofa surfing or living in sub-standard housing, and works with them to improve their situations and their lives.

It looks at how particular crises – such as issues with safety on the Ledbury Estate in north Peckham – impact on young people, examines how certain groups in the borough, such as young refugees, are at risk and works to address the specific difficulties they face.

Rhiannon Hughes is a legal adviser at Advising Communities, a Southwark-based organisation that reaches across the whole city to advise, educate and support Londoners in exercising their rights and responsibilities around everyday problems.

These could be anything from debt, welfare and benefits, to housing, employment and immigration issues. Rhiannon and her organisation also chair the Southwark Youth Housing Forum.

“There is a lot happening in Southwark with housing,” she says. “We are one of the boroughs in the UK awarded with £1 million for homelessness prevention, as we are one of the [main] boroughs that gets approached by the homeless.” 

This £1 million comes from the government and is a share of a bigger £20 million pot pledged to local authorities for a Trailblazer project, which is testing the Homeless Reduction Act.

Southwark also has access to £40,000 to tackle rough sleeping in the borough, but as Rhiannon points out, “There is no fund specifically for youth homelessness. That is a concern.”

Indeed, the team from the advice and welfare office at the Manna Day Centre, near London Bridge, have seen rising numbers of young people approaching them with worries about housing in recent times.

The centre, which offers advice on a range of issues, such as debt, benefits and employment, as well as housing, says 57 per cent of 18 to 25-year-olds using the advice and welfare service this year have been seeking advice specifically about housing. In 2010, this figure was just two per cent.

“Our experience has been that most of the younger clients we see [those aged under 25] have become homeless due to breakdowns in their relationship with their family – immediate or extended – and this has caused them to be excluded from the family home,” says Margaret Shapland, senior advice and welfare worker at the Manna centre.

“More often than not, this is the first time they have experienced homelessness and, as such, they need our support not only to find accommodation, but also, where necessary, to develop the life skills they will need to build an independent life.”

Youth homelessness is a city-wide problem in London, and it is far higher here than the rest of the UK. Between October and December last year, 748 young people aged 16 to 24 were recognised as statutorily homeless in the capital.

This compared with 39 youngsters in the north-east of England and 175 in the East Midlands, according to A Place Called Home – a report into youth homelessness published this year by the Sage Foundation.

These numbers are probably just the tip of the iceberg though. Many single homeless people can be described as “hidden homeless” – those staying with friends or family in ad-hoc (often insecure) arrangements and not accessing mainstream homelessness services.

According to the Sage Foundation, the number of 16 to 24-year-olds accepted as statutorily homeless is only a small minority (12 per cent) of the total number who approach their local authority for support. The majority are offered “prevention and support relief” and many (22 per cent) are turned away.

There are a number of factors which make the homelessness crisis particularly acute in Southwark. Rhiannon says homelessness in the borough is increasing as social housing stock is diminishing.

“With estates like the Aylesbury being decanted, not only are we losing housing, but more people are being shifted onto the waiting list for new homes,” she says.

Residents forced to leave their council properties are automatically placed into band one – the highest priority. And while it is important to rehome displaced residents, this means even fewer chances for people lower down the priority list, including those who are already homeless.

Southwark’s housing allocation scheme sees homeless applicants placed into bands three and four, with those who are homeless and whom the council has a statutory duty to accommodate under part seven of the Housing Act 1996 sitting in band three.

Applicants who are homeless but to whom the authority “does not owe a duty to house” under the act are placed in band four. The council defines these individuals as people who “may be intentionally homeless” or “without a priority need”.

Fears about the safety of old estates like the Ledbury, in light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy – which saw 228 households displaced – only adds to concerns about lengthening waiting lists and puts even more residents at risk of homelessness.

Southwark is now set to appoint an independent consultant to look at possibilities for the future of the Ledbury – which houses 224 flats – but has said that residents will have to move out, either temporarily or permanently, while repair works take place.

Young people have also been affected by the closure of services like the Gateway Foyer, a hostel on Borough Road that offered 116 beds to people aged from 16 to 24 for almost 20 years, each referred for varying reasons such as leaving care, rough sleeping or family breakdown.

Furthermore, the government’s withdrawal of Universal Credit, including the “housing costs” element, from 18 to 21-year-olds in April this year has also increased pressure on the young.

There are exemptions from this withdrawal – those who have been subject to, or threatened with domestic violence by their partner, ex-partner or a family member, and those who cannot live with their parents due to a serious risk to their physical or mental health. However, it still presents many young adults with a major problem when it comes to affording their own home.

Esther Vitte, community engagement officer for Southwark at the Department for Work and Pensions, who also sits on the Southwark Youth Housing Forum, thinks it is vital to raise awareness about Southwark youth homelessness in the current climate, and that it is seen holistically. She points out that young people who are homeless often have many other issues that need to be addressed at the same time.

“With changes to housing benefit for young people aged 18 to 21 from welfare reform, it is important that information is shared and young people are supported to navigate through the rules and regulations,” she says.

“Often young people who become homeless have other issues that they need support with, and this can be a very difficult time for young people mentally and emotionally.”

This view is backed up by research. According to Homeless Link figures from 2015, the overwhelming reason for young people to make contact with homelessness organisations was parents or care-givers who are no longer able or willing to house them.

Almost 50 per cent of young people gave this as their reason, implying issues in the home are more often than not a major factor in youth homelessness, rather than unemployment (seven per cent), substance abuse issues (nine per cent) or crime (four per cent). As an area going through rapid change, Southwark also presents a problem in terms of affordability – which is particularly tough on the young. It means they are having to look for housing beyond the borough, away from family and friends.  

“With the price of housing in Southwark – particularly in the private sector – it is becoming extremely difficult for young people to get a shared room at £95.16 a week, which is the local housing allowance rate,” says Esther. “Young people are often encouraged to look for accommodation out of the borough.”

But with a group of people working together to address these issues through the forum, the picture may not always be as bleak. Rhiannon says they are keen to hear from local people who might have spare rooms to rent out to young people.

It could be a way of avoiding the so-called bedroom tax, as well as helping someone in need – as young single people renting a bedroom will usually have about £260 a week in housing benefit to spend on rent.

Those wanting to help Southwark’s young homeless (or just help in general) should also take a look at the Community Southwark website, the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector, volunteers and social action in the borough, or explore the option of family hosting.

......................

Pictured: Rhiannon Hughes from Southwark Youth Housing Forum.

[bigyack-com]

Simon, Garfunkel and the swansong that has lasted 50 years - art and culture

When you’re weary, feelin’ small, it’s possible that you still turn to Bridge over Troubled Water on your Spotify. Half a century ago this week, American duo Simon & Garfunkel released the song on their self-titled album, not realising how much it would play on. Here’s what makes it iconic. It came at the right time All through the late 1960s, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel ruled the charts. Their easy-listening folk-rock spoke to peaceniks and protestors. Bridge… was the top-selling album of 1970, pushing 6 million copies. But few knew that this was to be Simon & Garfunkel’s farewell work. When the duo split, the album became the final souvenir, the last song, essentially their goodbye.  It’s a little personal What sound like lyrics of hope and support came out of the deteriorating relationship between the composer and songwriter. Garfunkel was already focusing on an acting career (he debuted in Catch-22 in 1970; Simon’s part got written out). And filming delays meant no music work got done. Those “down and out” moments when “friends just can’t be found” make it to the lyrics. Fans thought it was about heroin “Sail on silver girl” was seen as a possible reference to a heroin needle (fitting right in with the ’70s). But Simon has clarified that it simply refers to Peggy Harper, his wife at the time, who was starting to sprout greys at age 30. Big musicians have covered it Elvis Presley, The Jackson 5, Tom Jones and Aretha Franklin all recorded a version while Simon & Garfunkel’s song was still on the charts. Over the years, there have been covers by musicians as varied as Johnny Cash, viral star Susan Boyle, LeAnn Rimes and Charlotte Church. It’s a tough one to perform Easy listening is not easy singing, as anyone who’s attempted Bridge… knows. Holding the high notes at the end takes some prowess, which explains why it’s a standard attempt for singers in every generation.It’s helped rebuild lives We don’t mean when it pulled you out of the doldrums. In 2017, Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Rita Ora, Craig David, Leona Lewis and others sang a line each of the song, adding in rap, to release a special single for charity. Proceeds went to those impacted by London’s Grenfell Tower fire. At 227,000 copies sold in its first week of release, its success was second only to Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You that year.The song also topped the charts in 2003 A version recorded by American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Aiken became the first artist to debut at number one. The single sold over 1 million copies, and was 2003’s best seller. The song’s story is also on stage The Simon & Garfunkel Story is billed as part concert, part biography. And charts the duo’s musical journey until this final 1970 song, and the massive 1981 reunion gig in Central Park, which drew more than 500,000 fans. Read the full article

[labourpress]

Jeremy Corbyn speech at Labour's Make Homes Safe launch

***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, speaking at Labour's Make Homes Safe launch today, said:

We are here today less than 150 days after the country woke up to the devastating news of the fire at Grenfell Tower.

It was a fire that shocked the whole country.

A 24 storey tower block subsumed in flames. Whole families, adults and young children alike, trapped inside the tower with no chance of escape.

The scenes inside that tower would have been unimaginable hell.

Firefighters entered the burning building nonetheless at huge risk to themselves, saving many lives. But far too many, at least 80 people, were beyond rescue.

On the morning after the Grenfell Fire I visited the scene and I talked to those who lived in the tower and the surrounding area.

They were in shock and they were grieving. People simply did not believe that such a horrifying event could take place in 2017, in the UK’s richest borough, in the 5th richest nation on earth.

But tragically it didn’t happen by chance but because of shockingly avoidable political decisions, driven by a cruel and failed economic ideology.

The country was shocked and the local community was hurting but it was this shock and pain that prompted such an inspirational response from the local community in this part of West London.

It was a response stirred by the shared grief of innocent adults and children having their lives taken from them in the fire.

Stirred by the pain of seeing that burning building, knowing there were people trapped inside and stirred by the anger of knowing that working class voices had been ignored once again; and that a tragedy of this shocking scale had been allowed to happen.

Although the local council of Kensington and Chelsea has faced criticisms for its response to the fire, other local authorities, such as here in Hammersmith and Fulham, deserve to be acknowledged for their efforts to help those affected by the fire.

Whether it was running fundraising events or directly offering the use of their own council services and council officers free of charge, it was this council, along with others including my own, that did what it could to help those in need.

Local organisations and community groups have also played a huge part in the response. Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club for instance managed to raise almost one million pounds for legacy projects that will leave a lasting impact in the area around Grenfell.

Combined with the efforts of individuals, charities and local small businesses, this response was a heartening example of the unbreakable strength of communities and sense of solidarity in this hugely diverse and multi-faith area of London.

On the morning that I visited Grenfell I also had the chance to talk to some of the firefighters who battled that deadly inferno for hours.

Utterly exhausted, these were the women and men who saved large numbers of people - adults and children.

I asked them why they did it? Why did they put themselves in such danger, saving the lives of people who they’ve never even met.

They answered without any hesitation: “We do it because it’s our job”.

Because on that night, firefighters of the London Fire Brigade did do their job.

Firefighters across the country have faced the harsh reality of politically driven austerity.

Along with the other emergency services across the UK they have been forced to deal with repeated budget cuts since 2010.

In the last seven years 10,000 frontline firefighter jobs have gone; equivalent to one in six positions.

This is a staggering figure and is compounded by the loss of fire stations, equipment and the loss of almost a third of fire safety inspectors in the same period, with some areas such as West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, which covers the city of Leeds, having lost as many as 70 per cent of its inspectors.

Indeed, because of the continual loss of firefighters’ jobs, if the fire at Grenfell had occurred outside of London there would not have been enough firefighters in the vicinity to tackle a blaze of that size.

That is why Labour is committed to recruiting 3,000 new firefighter jobs with a full review of staffing levels.

This is essential if we are to improve response times and ensure the fire and rescue service has the resources it needs to do the job - which they do with such professionalism - of keeping us safe.

As firefighters themselves say: if we are serious about reducing deaths and injuries from fire, we need a co-ordinated approach across government. We need a well-funded fully staffed fire and rescue service but what is also needed is a strong focus on fire prevention.

We must make sure that nothing like the fire at Grenfell Tower can ever happen again.

But to make sure it doesn’t we need action and we need action now.

Of course we are all waiting for the result of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry but there is some action that we believe the government could, and should take immediately.

The retrofitting of sprinklers in all high rise social housing is something that could make a vital difference to people’s safety.

The evidence is clear: where sprinkler systems have already been fitted, injuries sustained from fires have been cut by approximately 80 per cent and deaths from fires have almost been eliminated entirely.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Take the word of the Chief Fire Officers Association. They support retrofitting because they recognise that sprinklers are both the most effective and the most efficient method to quell fires which occur in high rise buildings.

Take the word of the London Fire Brigade; the very people who risked their lives at Grenfell Tower and risk their lives every single day to put out other fires across this city, who have repeatedly called for retrofitting of sprinklers.

And take the word of the Coroner in its 2013 report after the fire at Lakanal House who recommended the retrofitting of sprinklers in all high rise residential buildings.

Two Conservative governments in succession have failed to act on that Coroner’s report.

We said after that dreadful fire at Lakanal House in 2009 we would never allow anything similar to happen again, and yet here we are, eight years later, after an even worse avoidable fire.

The evidence is overwhelming. When almost every authoritative source on the matter is saying the same thing: that retrofitting of sprinklers is necessary in high rise housing.

This measure is just common sense and will protect thousands of lives.

It is our duty to listen to this clear and unambiguous advice.

Retrofitting of sprinklers is something that many Local Authorities know is necessary to ensure the safety of residents in high rise social housing. But with their budgets slashed by an average of 40 per cent since 2010 it is something that very few of them can afford.

A small number of Local Authorities such as the London Borough of Croydon have managed to find the funds to retrofit sprinklers. But of course on councils’ shoe string budgets, doing this can mean cuts to other vital services.

That is why people across the country are now looking at central government to act.

The government tells us time and time again that there are difficult choices to be made. “We are all in this together” they used to say.

And yet while people are living in potential death-trap homes without essential safety protections such as sprinklers, it is an obscenity that we have super rich elites and major corporations who are allowed to avoid paying their taxes. There can be little disagreement. The government must get its act together, take on the tax avoiders and put the billions of pounds that is being taken from the pockets of the British people back into the public services and safe homes we all so desperately need.

Social housing in this country has been badly and dangerously neglected for far too long.

Deregulation imposed by successive governments has caused a shocking collapse in standards.

While luxury accommodation proliferates across our big cities far out of reach of the vast majority of the population, the poorest in our country are forced to live not just in dilapidated run-down housing, but also in dangerous housing.

Time and time again this government has shown itself to be callous and indifferent to working class concerns.

But now we are asking this government to do something positive for those who live in social housing.

With the budget approaching imminently the government has a genuine opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives by making available the government funds that local councils are crying out for to improve the safety of high rise residents.

It is the primary responsibility of any government to ensure the safety of its citizens and we believe it is therefore the responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor to make this money available to local authorities and devolved administrations across the whole of the UK.

We must be serious about people’s safety and governments cannot protect people on the cheap.

We see ourselves as a civilised society. We know that as a nation we should provide universal healthcare for the sick, decent pensions for the elderly, good quality education for every child to get on in life, but we also need to ensure that everybody has a home that is not just secure but also safe.

Funding retrofitting of sprinklers is an immediate step that Theresa May can take in the Autumn Budget.

It will ensure that high rise residents can sleep more safely in their beds.

That is why today, Labour is launching our campaign to Make Homes Safe.

The campaign’s aim is for sprinklers to be fitted in all social housing throughout the country which is 30 metres or above - around ten or more storeys.

We are asking for the public’s support to make sure the government listens to the concerns that we share with tower block residents, the Fire and Rescue Service and other professionals.

Retrofitting of sprinkler systems is a basic demand but it is one that will save lives if the government decides to make it happen.

Grenfell was an avoidable tragedy. It did not have to happen and it would not have happened if adequate precautions, including sprinklers, were in place.

So please, sign our letter and help us make sure that residents of high rise social housing can sleep safely in their beds, safe in the knowledge that they are being listened to.

Thank you

ENDS

[nhupdates]

One Direction could REUNITE to join stars recording charity single for victims of the fire at London’s Grenfell Tower

ONE Direction could have a mini-reunion after Simon Cowell asked all of the band to sing on his charity single for the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson were officially confirmed to be recording lines for the celeb cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Harry Styles and Niall Horan are trying to free up their schedules to take part.

The group have been on a break since early 2016, with all four members recently embarking on solo careers. Read more at The Sun