NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday ordered an immediate review into regulations in Scotland, and said Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart, would convene a group to ensure that we are standing ready to take any actions that are necessary as lessons are learned from this catastrophic fire.”
Speaking at question time in Holyrood, the First Minister paid tribute to those killed in the London high rise: “We have all been horrified by the tragic events in London this week. I’m sure the thoughts of the Parliament are with everyone affected and in particular with those who lost loved ones.
“I also want to record my gratitude and appreciation to the emergency services who have been responding and continue to respond. The investigation into this fire is clearly at a very early stage and while there appear to be very serious questions to be answered, we must be careful not to speculate at this stage.”
SNP MSP Bob Dorris, whose constituency of Maryhill and Springburn contains several high rise tower blocks, said the Government must ensure “the most rigorous fire safety regulations possible” are in place, and give reassurance to residents living in similar blocks.
Sturgeon said: “While I think there are the most serious questions to be answered in the case of this tragic fire, given how early a stage the investigation is at, it is important that we don’t rush to judgment or speculation about the causes of that fire.
“But nevertheless — and I am acutely aware of the responsibility the Scottish Government bears here — we must stand ready to provide whatever reassurance we can to people across Scotland who are living in similar accommodation and who may have very understandable concerns as a result of what we have seen this week.”
A number of Scottish local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs) are taking extra steps to ensure the safety of high-rise buildings following the tower block fire in west London.
A spokesman for Fife Council said: “We are confident our fire safety procedures and over-cladding specifications are safe.
“To further reassure tenants and residents, we have agreed to start a review of our specification for future projects, and this will include a review of the existing over-cladding that has been used in Fife. We will issue information updates as this review is taken forward.”
Aberdeen City Council, who undertook a similar recladding exercise recently reassured tenants it constantly ensured its buildings “met required standards and regulations”.
“However, in the wake of the fire in London, we are working closely with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service about additional advice which can be given to tenants”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here