Campaigning for safe means of escape for disabled people in blocks of flats

LHG’s AGM 2022 agreed to support a campaign being led by Claddag (the Leaseholders Disability Action Group) to change the Government’s stance on evacuation plans for residents in blocks of flats who are disabled. Claddag, set up by an LHG member and others, has been arguing that an evacuation plan is essential for people with disabilities. Sadly, all too many of those who died in the fire at Grenfell would have had extra difficulty evacuating because of poor mobility or poor health, and 15 of the 72 who died were disabled.

This week, Lord Greenhalgh announced that the Government does not agree that disabled people should have a right to a personal emergency evacuation plan (a PEEP), despite this being a key recommendation from Phase One of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Claddag tells us that this decision follows a 9-month wait since the Government’s second consultation on the matter, and is yet another u-turn on a critical policy issue. Staggeringly, Lord Greenhalgh seems to think that disabled people should say put in a fire in order to avoid “hindering others” from evacuating, and that evacuating mobility-impaired residents would not be a proportionate cost to pass on to residents and tax-payers.

LHG is writing to the Government to protest at this decision, and we would urge LHG members to support Claddag in trying to secure a better and safer plan for disabled tower block residents.