Morning Briefing: calls to end KCTMO contract

In the news

Residents associations’ have reportedly written to Kensington and Chelsea Council to demand the Conservative-led authority ends its contract with its tenant management organisation following the Grenfell fire.

A total of 16 resident associations are said to have accused Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation of a “fundamental breach of duty of care”. Read the Huffington Post report on this here.

Many news outlets are also reporting yesterday’s ‘silent march’ in London to mark the two-month anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The Metro newspaper said the gathering, which was reportedly attended by 300 people, “served as a demonstration of community strength, love, and as a heartbreaking reminder that it could happen again”.

Read the BBC’s report of the march here.

Meanwhile, the debate about the authorities’ response to the fire continues to rage. Labour’s Diane Abbott, in a piece for The Guardian, said it “unacceptable” that many of the survivors have not been permanently rehoused. The shadow home secretary is calling for commissioners to be “brought in who have the confidence of the people who have been affected”.

For a longer read about the wider issues raised by the Grenfell disaster, check out this piece by the New York Times. The article contrasts extremes of wealth in Kensington and Chelsea and accuses the local council of being more willing to listen to the concerns of the better-off than the poor.

For a more detailed piece tracing the council’s decision-making in the run-up to the fire, see Inside Housing’s investigation ‘Grenfell: the paper trail’.

Also today, social housing repairs and maintenance contractor Mears has said delays to clients’ planned works orders due to Grenfell will hit its turnover by £30m. The company, in its interim results announced to the stock market today, said it now expects revenues of around £800m in this year as opposed to initial forecasts of £830m.

It said: “Clients’ attentions have naturally been diverted towards ensuring their housing portfolios are safe and fully compliant.”

Finally today, financial news site City AM has a piece about the mayor of London investing £25m of public money in developer Pocket Living.