I’ve not been in a tower block, says new chief
THE local authority at the heart of the Grenfell fire disaster has come under fresh criticism after its new leader admitted she had never visited a tower block.
Elizabeth Campbell was brought in to head up Kensington and Chelsea Council after Nick Paget-Brown quit in the wake of the tragedy that took at least 80 lives.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said her admission will do nothing to help the relationship between Grenfell survivors and the council. He said: “I’m afraid when residents hear the person who is supposed to be running the council now – the ‘new broom’, the ‘breath of fresh air’ – has never been in a tower block, it is not going to instil confidence, is it?”
But Campbell, who represents the wealthy Sloane Square area, said: “I totally reject the fact that, just because I live in the south of the borough, I’ve no understanding of what’s going on in the north.
“And I also totally reject the whole notion that, because we have people in the borough who are wealthy and people who are not wealthy, the wealthy don’t care.”