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The prime minister has told Grenfell Tower residents that the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) will no longer manage the estate.
At a private meeting with residents last night Theresa May also said Kensington and Chelsea Council “did not respond quickly enough” after the fire.
The Lancaster West Estate, which Grenfell Tower is part of, is currently managed by KCTMO. It has faced severe criticism for failing to listen to tenants’ fire safety concerns before the blaze broke out.
Inside Housing revealed this morning that it declined to carry out a fire safety investigation just five weeks before the deadly blaze.
A KCTMO spokesperson said: “We are currently in direct discussion with RBKC about the detail behind this statement and are seeking to clarify this.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister acknowledged residents’ concerns about the culture of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and the tenant management organisation (TMO).
She confirmed that the TMO will be removed from the management of the Lancaster West (Grenfell Tower) 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.”
It is not yet clear what the time frame will be for KCTMO exiting management of the estate, which organisation will replace it or whether it will continue to manage some 9,000 other properties in the borough.
At the meeting Theresa May also provided assurances over the investigation to identify those killed in the fire.
The spokesperson added: “The prime minister provided assurance that the coroners had all of the resource they needed and were working as fast as they can to identify bodies while ensuring that they performed their role with dignity and respect.”
Residents told Ms May they were unhappy with the council’s communication over offers of accommodation and the PM agreed that these offers should be discussed face to face.
There are also concerns among leaseholders about the offers they have received from the council and the PM said the council would meet with them to hear these concerns.
Update: at 5pm on 23.08.17 This story has been updated with KCTMO’s statement.
Inside Housing is calling 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.
We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.
The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.