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The Grenfell inquiry judge does not have community support
Local people distrust a judge imposed by a system that has repeatedly failed them, says Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad
The terrible and avoidable fire at Grenfell Tower on the 14th June has exposed depths of incompetence and lack of compassion at Kensington and Chelsea Council and Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) that are frankly disturbing. Sadly, having served on both organisations and having my concerns ignored and derided over the years, it was hardly a surprise.
“Why would survivors and evacuees and other affected people trust a judge imposed on them by this very imperfect system?”
In the first few days the council let us down, then Gold Command let us down, now the Task Force is letting us down. They say one thing in public, while I hear very different first-hand accounts in private.
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Where are the financial donations going? Who is actually in charge? Will people be offered ‘high quality new homes’ far from their local networks? Will people with concerns about immigration status be reported to the Home Office or not?
There are more answers than there are questions, and I am the last person to receive any empirical information, if indeed it exists.
"Without co-operation, the inquiry will not work."
So why, in this continuing chaos, would survivors and evacuees and other affected people trust a judge imposed on them by this very imperfect system? Without trust, there will be no co-operation, and without co-operation, the inquiry will not work. As the Kensington MP I am guided by what I hear from the hundreds of people who contact me. It is not for me to support the imposition of a process which some – rightly or wrongly – believed to be flawed, or even, god help us, corrupt.
The moment the judge’s name was announced, half of North Kensington googled the name and found the case of a Westminster resident who he judged to be ‘intentionally homeless’ as she refused a move to Milton Keynes. While this was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court, housing campaigners said the judgement would be ‘a green light for social cleansing’.
“The choice of judge showed gross insensitivity at the very least.”
And this, of course, is everyone’s worst fear – that this horrific event will be used to speed up what people see as the social cleansing of Kensington begun many years ago and accelerated by the former cabinet member of housing and regeneration, who was allowed the dignity of resigning rather than face the sack.
The choice of judge showed gross insensitivity at the very least, and the announcement on the same day as the Hillsborough prosecutions announcement was also significant to those caught up in this nightmare.
Should the judge be replaced, or backed by an advisory panel including local organisations and representatives? I’m listening to local people, and those in control would do well to listen and act accordingly too.
Emma Dent Coad, MP for Kensington
