A statement from the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission: 11 March 2026

Yesterday, 10 March, the government published a statement about the preservation of elements from Grenfell Tower.

In the letter sent by the government to bereaved families and survivors earlier this week, the government says that a decision was made, by the government and its contractors, not to retain and preserve Tower elements as previously requested by bereaved families.

We, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, would like to highlight an important clarification regarding our role.

The Memorial Commission was not involved in, nor aware of, those operational decisions.

The government has admitted that the Memorial Commission was not made aware of the request.

However, the government did not admit to this in the letter that it sent directly to bereaved families this week, despite making reference in the letter to the government’s continued commitment to supporting the Memorial Commission in the creation of the future memorial.

While the Memorial Commission has been supporting and facilitating the community engagement process around the future memorial, it has not been responsible for decisions about the removal, preservation, or handling of Tower elements during the current deconstruction works. It is also disappointing that the government omitted to explain this very important fact.

We are sharing this clarification today to ensure that bereaved and survivor families can be clear on the distinction between the government’s management of the Tower site and the Memorial Commission’s separate role. The Memorial Commission has always been independent and has led the community-informed process to create a fitting and lasting memorial.

You can speak to us directly by going to our contact page.