Grenfell Inquiry progress report June 2025: UK Government update

Government confirms 57 of 58 Grenfell recommendations are in progress

The UK Government has released its first quarterly report outlining progress on the 58 Phase 2 recommendations issued by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

According to the update, published on 29 May 2025, 57 recommendations are currently in progress, with one already completed.

The UK Government stated that it accepted all recommendations and remains committed to implementing each of them in full.

Implementation is expected to take at least four years due to the need for legislative changes and consultations.

Quarterly updates will continue until all recommendations are marked as complete.

Timetable for implementation and future reports

The UK Government explained that the timeline for full delivery will be set out in a later progress report scheduled for September 2025.

The government stated that some recommendations, such as those involving administrative changes, will be implemented within months.

Others, especially those requiring consultation or primary legislation, will take longer.

Reports will be published in February, May, September and December each year.

Each report will follow a consistent structure and provide status updates for every recommendation.

Government groups recommendations into four key themes

The UK Government’s report groups the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations into four themes:

• The construction industry
• Fire and rescue services
• Response and recovery
• Vulnerable people

The report also continues to track progress on three outstanding Phase 1 recommendations related to Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).

The status of each recommendation is marked as either “in progress” or “complete” and is linked to a responsible organisation.

Construction reforms: Government works to appoint Chief Construction Adviser

The government confirmed that all 28 recommendations concerning the construction industry are currently being implemented.

As part of these efforts, a Chief Construction Adviser (CCA) will be appointed.

Outreach to potential candidates for the interim post has begun, with an announcement expected by summer 2025.

The CCA will provide independent advice to ministers and support development of the proposed single construction regulator.

The UK Government stated that the adviser will work closely with industry to improve safety and rebuild trust in the built environment.

Home Office fire functions transferred to MHCLG

The government has enacted a machinery of government change to consolidate fire and building safety oversight.

From 1 April 2025, fire responsibilities have transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The change aims to align housing and fire safety under a single Secretary of State.

Minister Alex Norris is now responsible for fire and building safety.

The government confirmed that officials remain in the Home Office during the transition but report to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Work on the full transfer will continue through 2025.

Health and Safety Executive examines gas valve access issues

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been reviewing access to pipeline isolation valves, as raised in the Grenfell recommendations.

It gathered evidence from gas network operators and has developed initial options for resolving access and inspection challenges.

The HSE said its focus includes improving awareness among building owners and landowners on the importance of pipeline valve accessibility.

Work is ongoing to refine these options.

NFCC leads fire and rescue services progress

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is coordinating work to address all 13 fire and rescue recommendations.

In April, the NFCC submitted an action and delivery plan to government.

To inform the plan, NFCC surveyed UK fire and rescue services to assess current capability.

The organisation is now analysing the responses to identify areas where support or improvement is needed.

The plan will be shared with key stakeholders by the end of May 2025.

National resilience strategy and UK Resilience Academy

The government is working to enhance emergency preparedness across national and local levels.

The Cabinet Office is conducting a review to assess current resilience strategies and identify areas for change.

One of the measures already launched is the UK Resilience Academy, which began operation in April 2025.

The academy will train over 4,000 individuals each year using National Occupational Standards.

It aims to improve consistency and quality in resilience training for emergency roles.

Risk Vulnerability Tool offers real-time data for crisis planning

To support emergency response planning, the National Situation Centre and Office for National Statistics have launched a Risk Vulnerability Tool.

The tool uses near real-time data to identify communities and individuals who may be disproportionately impacted in emergencies.

It is available to UK and devolved government officials and provides data on demographics and specific hazards like weather or power outages.

Revised guidance has also been issued to help local responders identify and support at-risk individuals during a crisis.

New emergency response guidance published

The Cabinet Office has published the updated “Amber Book – Managing crises in central government”.

This replaces the previous Central Government Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery.

The Amber Book includes new material on the human aspects of emergency response and emphasises humanitarian needs during crises.

The updated guidance forms part of the government’s broader effort to modernise national emergency planning frameworks.

Residential PEEPs to become mandatory for high-rise buildings

The government confirmed that it will introduce secondary legislation mandating Residential Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).

These will apply to all high-rise residential buildings and medium-rise buildings using simultaneous evacuation strategies.

PEEPs will require building owners or managers to engage with vulnerable residents, share fire procedures, and provide evacuation support information to fire and rescue services.

The legislation is expected to be laid before Parliament by the end of June 2025, subject to scheduling.

Funding committed to support PEEPs rollout

The UK Government has allocated funding for 2025/26 to assist social housing providers in delivering PEEPs.

It said future funding decisions will be made in the upcoming Spending Review.

Guidance on PEEPs will be developed following the legislation, with input from disability advocacy groups.

A toolkit will also be produced to assist responsible persons with implementation.

Inquiry transparency measures to be introduced

The UK Government accepted the Inquiry’s recommendation to improve monitoring and transparency around public inquiry implementation.

A new register will be launched on GOV.UK by summer 2025 to track all recommendations issued by public inquiries since 2024.

This will include recommendations from coroners, select committees and inquiries such as the Infected Blood Inquiry.

The register will be updated regularly and serve as a long-term monitoring tool.

Parliamentary scrutiny of inquiry progress ongoing

The government acknowledged that Parliament is responsible for its own scrutiny of inquiry recommendation implementation.

It confirmed it will continue to support Parliament in holding government departments to account.

The Cabinet Office is leading a wider piece of work on inquiry reform.

This aims to improve how wrongs are identified, responses are tracked, and recommendations are implemented.

The reform process is still at an early stage, but future updates will be provided.

Grenfell Inquiry progress report June 2025: Summary

The UK Government has released its first progress report on implementing the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations.

The report was published on 29 May 2025.

It confirms that 57 of the 58 recommendations are currently in progress, with one completed.

The implementation process is expected to take a minimum of four years.

The recommendations are grouped into four themes: construction industry, fire and rescue services, response and recovery, and vulnerable people.

The government will issue quarterly reports in February, May, September and December each year.

A Chief Construction Adviser will be appointed to help design the single construction regulator.

Fire policy functions have moved from the Home Office to MHCLG.

The Health and Safety Executive is working on improvements to gas isolation valve access.

NFCC submitted its action and delivery plan in April and surveyed UK fire services.

The UK Resilience Academy was launched in April to provide training based on national standards.

A Risk Vulnerability Tool has been introduced to identify at-risk populations during emergencies.

New guidance has been published for local responders and central government officials.

Legislation mandating Residential PEEPs will be laid in summer 2025.

Funding for social housing providers to deliver PEEPs has been committed for 2025/26.

A new public register of inquiry recommendations will launch on GOV.UK by summer 2025.

Parliament will continue to scrutinise the implementation of inquiry recommendations.

The Cabinet Office is leading further work to reform inquiry processes and improve government response.