The Manchester Arena Inquiry came to a close today after sitting for three days to check progress on the recommendations made in March 2022.

In the wake of the May 2017 terror attack, where suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed himself and 22 others, the initial Inquiry heard evidence from 267 witnesses and found a series of failings in three damning reports.

Today marked the final oral hearings for the Inquiry, which began back in September 2020. Over the past three days, key figures including health and prison service bosses have been called to answer questions about whether lessons have been learned from past mistakes.

Broudie Jackson Canter solicitor Nicola Brook, who represents five bereaved families, issued a comment on the last day of evidential hearings in relation to monitoring the recommendations made in the volume two and three reports. She said:

“It is clear from the evidence that we have heard over the last three days that much of the activity required to bring about change has only happened in the past couple of months. 

"It’s apparent that many of the organisations that need to change are only doing so because they faced the scrutiny of this inquiry. Without such public scrutiny, you have to wonder what progress would have been made if they had been left to their own devices.

"This more than anything proves the need for a national oversight body to ensure that the recommendations made by the Chair and the reports from other public inquiries are not left to gather dust on shelves but actually do the job of saving lives.”