Could red tape be a lifesaver?

IT IS now a fortnight since the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower shook the complacency of our country. History has a habit of making us re-think long held assumptions and Grenfell certainly challenged decades of hostility when it comes to health and safety.

After all, celebrities like Jeremy Clarkson have almost built a career on deriding the efforts of the so-called ‘nanny state’ to protect us. In January 2012, David Cameron (remember him?) stated his New Year’s resolution was to ‘kill off the health and safety culture for good’.

Still, after Grenfell, the shift in public debate feels very welcome. Gone is the assumption that ‘red tape’ and hiring public officials to enforce it are a pointless drain of resources. Grenfell reminded us the devil is always in the detail when it comes to health and safety.

Oddly enough, we in York have witnessed our own safety tragedy unfold over many years now. And it is the opposite danger to fire.

Here are some facts. According to a 2014 safety report from the City of York Council, ten people drowned in the River Ouse and 14 in the River Foss between 1999 and 2014. The report also revealed a third of the people involved were under 18. In the years since then, three more people have lost their lives in our city’s two rivers, the latest tragedy occurring in January 2017.

Another finding of the 2014 report should give us pause for thought as summer progresses. Namely, that although incidents are reported all year round, they peak in July and August.

ON PATROL: York Rescue Boat on a training exercise

Of course, it is hard to imagine the unbearable loss to the families involved. Very often youthful bravado fuelled by alcohol seems to have been a factor and who among us have not done foolish, potentially dangerous things when young?

Fortunately, our city can take pride in its response to the problem. Thousands of pounds have been allocated to upgrading river safety equipment along the Ouse and the River Foss in recent years. In addition, there have been vocal safety awareness campaigns, not least from The Press itself. Regular walkers along our river banks frequently see the York Rescue Boat, a fantastic local charity that provides both education and hands-on support, out training and patrolling. Not to mention the fine, often hazardous work, of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

My point is this: with appropriate resources and partnerships between often diverse bodies, effective health and safety measures can be implemented.

To me, Grenfell seems to symbolise how far we have lost sight in the UK of the importance of rigorous, legally enforced regulation by fully accountable public officials. Over the course of my adult life I have witnessed numerous public services deliberately run down and hived off to private companies whose natural interest is a profit margin. No one sensible would claim business and commerce don’t play a hugely positive role in society. However, some sectors of human endeavour are too important to become money-making machines.

Over coming months the public inquiry into Grenfell will be exploring whether health and safety corners were cut in order to keep costs down and boost profit margins. It is far too early to cast blame against Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea or the private firm they used to manage the tower block. All will be revealed in time.

However, early lessons can be learned about the beneficial role of regulatory frameworks, many of which have been developed and bequeathed to us by the EU. And it does feel as though, post-Brexit with the economy nose-diving, austerity Britain is in the mood for re-thinking the role of the state in keeping us prosperous and safe.

Is it just me sensing a shift in favour of well-funded public services after the recent election? A belief that the private sector benefits just as much as ordinary people from vibrant programmes of state investment? History teaches us over and over what was once unfashionable can become simple common sense. Let us hope so when it comes to those, like David Cameron, who casually criticise ‘red tape’ as unprofitable. Red tape saves lives.