You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Kensington MP hits out over Grenfell neighbours’ rehousing deadline
The Labour MP for Kensington has hit out at the council’s plans to impose a deadline on residents near Grenfell Tower making a decision about whether or not to return to their homes.
In a letter to Kensington & Chelsea Council, Emma Dent Coad said the deadline is “creating a climate of fear” for residents affected by the Grenfell Tower fire and called it “inhumane”.
The council has told former residents of the Walkways, an area of low-rise housing connected to Grenfell Tower which was evacuated following the fire, that they must decide whether to return to their homes by 30 September.
If residents do not make a decision by that date, they could be charged rent on the home currently being provided to them by the council as well as on their former homes on the Walkways.
READ MORE
Residents still in temporary accommodation by the deadline could also see their rent rise to temporary accommodation levels, rather than the current level, which is pegged to their original Walkways’ rent.
This policy was adopted in July despite recommendations from the council’s Grenfell recovery scrutiny committee that the hard deadline of 30 September be altered to a guideline, to accommodate the needs of the residents, many of whom have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In response to the recommendations, the council changed the language of the policy to indicate that residents should have additional support from the council when making their decisions.
Ms Dent Coad criticised the failure to remove the hard deadline in her letter, writing: “This is not in the spirit of the motion passed at Grenfell recovery scrutiny committee and is deeply out of step with the direction of the discussion there.
“This deadline is creating a climate of fear which is both inhumane and is hindering the ability of deeply traumatised people to make important decisions about their futures.”
Related Files
Inside Housing understands that up to 80 people have told the council they are not ready to make the decision.
In her letter, Ms Dent Coad said that she understood the council has justified the policy by citing pressure on its Housing Revenue Account.
She points out, though, that housing minister Kit Malthouse revealed in a recent written answer to her that the council has not asked the government for extra funds to implement this policy.
Ms Dent Coad also criticised the council because it hasn’t made provision in its rehousing policy for adults who were living with parents or other relatives before the fire but did not have tenancies in those homes.
A council spokesperson said: “This is a fair policy formulated after a borough-wide, in-depth consultation.
“It takes into account the needs of all residents including those who have remained on the Lancaster West estate as well as those on the housing list who are in real need of a home of their own. No-one will be excluded – anyone with a housing need will be considered and supported to find suitable accommodation.”
Never Again campaign
In the days following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, Inside Housing launched the Never Again campaign to call for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
One year on, we have extended the campaign asks in the light of information that has emerged since.
Here are our updated asks:
GOVERNMENT
- Act on the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations to tower blocks of 18m and higher. Commit to producing a timetable for implementation by autumn 2018, setting out how recommendations that don’t require legislative change can be taken forward without delay
- Follow through on commitments to fully ban combustible materials on high-rise buildings
- Unequivocally ban desktop studies
- Review recommendations and advice given to ministers after the Lakanal House fire and implement necessary changes
- Publish details of all tower blocks with dangerous cladding, insulation and/or external panels and commit to a timeline for remedial works. Provide necessary guidance to landlords to ensure that removal work can begin on all affected private and social residential blocks by the end of 2018. Complete quarterly follow-up checks to ensure that remedial work is completed to the required standard. Checks should not cease until all work is completed.
- Stand by the prime minister’s commitment to fully fund the removal of dangerous cladding
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
- Explore options for requiring remedial works on affected private sector residential tower blocks
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Take immediate action to identify privately owned residential tower blocks so that cladding and external panels can be checked
LANDLORDS
- Publish details of the combinations of insulations and cladding materials for all high rise blocks
- Commit to ensuring that removal work begins on all blocks with dangerous materials by the end of 2018 upon receipt of guidance from government
- Publish current fire risk assessments for all high rise blocks (the Information Commissioner has required councils to publish and recommended that housing associations should do the same). Work with peers to share learning from assessments and improve and clarify the risk assessment model.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out. Ensure assessments consider the external features of blocks. Always use an appropriate, qualified expert to conduct assessments.
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in the light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
- Adopt Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommended approach for listening to and addressing tenants’ concerns, with immediate effect
CURRENT SIGNATORIES:
- Chartered Institute of Housing
- G15
- National Federation of ALMOs
- National Housing Federation
- Placeshapers
