The death of at least 80 people in the Grenfell Tower blaze in June, and the displacement of more than 250 people, has been one of the biggest tragedies in recent British history.
But while it gradually fades from the national news agenda, there remains hundreds of survivors without permanent residency. To date, four months after the blaze, just 14 families have been permanently rehoused, while a further 59 have accepted an offer.
Many survivors are still living in hotels, having lost everything but the clothes they were wearing at the time, while 45 households have moved into temporary accommodation.
In an exclusive interview with The MJ, Kensington & Chelsea RLBC leader Elizabeth Campbell insisted the council was working at the pace of survivors, rather than the other way around.
She said the council was ‘absolutely determined to do whatever it takes to help people be rehoused, to begin the journey again and to get back to their new life’.
‘People lost everything,’ she continued. ‘Some lost their whole families. How can you comprehend that? It is unimaginable.
‘Imagine saying to these people: “Come have a look at this flat in Chelsea. Now sign on the dotted line. You have to move in quickly.” It is an enormous decision to take. You are asking people who are bereaved and traumatised to take one of the biggest decisions of their lives.
‘All we can do is go out and buy great property. We will have 300 [units] by Christmas. We can then present a great choice and then we have to help them make the right decision...Everyone has different circumstances.’
Cllr Campbell, who took over in July after the resignation of Cllr Nicholas Paget-Brown, said the council was ‘shifting people out of hotels’ as more took up offers of temporary accommodation.
Asked how long it would take to rehouse everybody, she said: ‘I cannot put a timeframe on it but as quickly as possible. It is not good for them or for their families. In order to start again they need their own front door.’
Following a stream of negative press coverage criticising the borough for the small number of families rehoused, Cllr Campbell insisted it was ‘not just about figures’. She continued: ‘If you are some housing person in normal times you might say 200 people have not been housed, but it’s different this time. Judge us in the round, that’s fine, but not just by the figures.’
Cllr Campbell said the council was using almost all of its £274m emergency reserves to ensure people had everything they needed – from food and school uniforms to mental health services in hotel lobbies. She added: ‘Isn’t that what reserves are for? We are one of the few that has been able to [build reserves].’
But some commentators have criticised the council for failing to invest in fire safety in the first place. Shadow communities secretary Andrew Gwynne suggested the council could have averted the crisis if it had instead funded sprinkler systems and non-flammable cladding.
However, with the criminal investigation into the cause of the fire under way, Cllr Campbell said she could discuss neither the council’s culpability in the incident itself nor the council’s heavily criticised initial response, which Theresa May described as ‘not good enough’.
Contrasting the Prime Minister’s comments after the fire, Cllr Campbell denied the immediate response on the ground was poor, despite having apologised for it. She instead described the work of councillors and staff as ‘incredible’, adding: ‘There hasn’t been an appropriate moment to say that, but they actually really did do their bit.’
What has been clear is resident’s frustration with the borough, with the relationship between the community and authority currently fractured and trust in the council severed. Cllr Campbell said it will ‘take time’ to rebuild that trust. ‘We have to do it step by step, family by family. We have to be judged by our actions. You cannot magic trust out of the air. You have to earn it. Councils only do that by being trustworthy and showing they mean what they say.’ She then made the point that members were up for election next year.
Cllr Campbell denied the sector had suffered reputational damage since the blaze, instead claiming it was evidence of ‘what councils can do in partnership’. She continued: ‘Westminster has given an extraordinary amount of help, as have people from Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham. From all across London, councils have lent us secondments and some of their best officers. It is an example of how local government has really been a force for good. I am thanking you all. They could not have been more proactive’.
Cllr Campbell also denied the tragedy opened up divides in communities. ’Funnily enough, I think it was amazing the community didn’t fracture,’ she said. ‘Instead they came together. There was incredible community cohesion in the aftermath of the fire. The community may not have trusted the state but it was quite humbling to see what they achieved. These are hard-working people, really great people. Everywhere in the community we have a mix of people and I think we celebrate that mix.’
Referring to commentary linking the tragedy to social housing provision and the wealth divide in the borough, Cllr Campbell said: ‘I think the whole narrative of politicisation has been unhelpful to say the least. This has been a tragedy, as I said, of national proportions. As a small borough we have done and will do everything in our power to get it right.’
Instead, she said Kensington & Chelsea RLBC now had ‘high hopes and big ambitions’. ‘Once the tower comes down, we will be investing the money we have promised in Lancaster West in consultation with residents. The legacy will be the best model in the 21st century of what social housing should be. The best in Europe. For such an awful tragedy, [we want] to have some good come out of it, some small hope for the future.’
She said all councils could ‘learn’ from the failings of the council, and said in the future it would be ‘listening much more’. She added: ‘We will be properly consulting before we undergo any project. We will be listening, engaging and consulting.’
