The management company responsible for Grenfell Tower is to be stripped of running surrounding homes, Theresa May said yesterday as she admitted mistakes had been made.
The Prime Minister said survivors of the Grenfell inferno had told her about fears about Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, which has been accused of ignoring residents’ warnings about safety before the deadly fire.
Police are to interview senior officials from the TMO and Kensington council as part of a corporate manslaughter investigation, following the deaths of at least 80 people in the June 14 blaze.
In a private meeting with survivors, Mrs May admitted the Conservative-controlled council had been slow to act after the fire, in which hundreds lost their homes and belongings.
Mrs May has admitted the Conservative-controlled council had been slow to act after the fire
Mrs May, who faced criticism for initially failing to meet survivors and was booed during a later visit, met with up to 70 residents and said the meeting was ‘very dignified’.
She said: ‘The Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) is one of the issues that residents have been very concerned about – I was able to tell them that the TMO will no longer have responsibility for the Lancaster West housing estate. People were pleased to hear that.’ The Prime Minister listened to residents’ concerns about housing, bereavement support and the distribution of donations, which are not reaching survivors quickly enough, according to the Charity Commission.
A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister acknowledged residents’ concerns about the culture of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the TMO.
‘She confirmed that the TMO will be removed from the management of the Lancaster West estate and she recognised that the council did not respond quickly enough after the fire.
‘She agreed that it was important that the council listen to and respond to the issues residents face about the support and information they were receiving, including from key workers and housing officers.’ Council leader Elizabeth Campbell said she would ‘consider all options’ to replace the TMO, adding: ‘The only option we won’t consider is the TMO continuing.’ Mrs Campbell said the council was working to rehouse more than 180 households who had been living in hotels and temporary accommodation since the fire, at a cost to the council of more than £1,000 per household per week.
Police believe at least 80 people were killed but so far only 53 have been formally identified using dental records, fingerprints and DNA. Pictured: The charred remains of Grenfell Tower
She said she would spend ‘every penny’ of the council’s £270million reserves if needed, with £30million already allocated on rehousing and a further £76million set to be made available.
She said: ‘It’s a lot of money, tens of millions of pounds, but that’s what that money is there for.’ Meanwhile Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox warned that identification of victims from the fire was ‘becoming increasingly difficult’.
Police believe at least 80 people were killed but so far only 53 have been formally identified using dental records, fingerprints and DNA.
Detectives leading the investigation have warned some victims may never be identified because of the intensity of the fire and discrepancies in records over who was living inside.
The latest victim to be identified was named yesterday as Ernie Vital, 50, who lived with his mother Marjorie, who was also killed. Their family said Mr Vital was ‘a kind, sensitive and caring person with a warm hearted smile’.