COUNCIL O
PANICKING Theresa May has set up a task force to take over Grenfell Tower relief efforts from the bungling local council.
The move comes amid growing fury about Tory-run Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council’s response to the tragic blaze.
Residents have expressed disgust at the lack of information coming from officials and Mrs May admitted the support they received was “not good enough”.
One resident said: “The way the authority has handled things has been terrible.
“There’s been nothing. All we want is information and some help. There’s been nothing for days.”
Mrs May, who met victims at Downing Street yesterday, plans to send a team of executives from other London councils to try to help the situation in Kensington and Chelsea.
The embattled PM fears the after effects of the tragedy have been handled poorly. And she is worried about the protests breaking out across the capital.
A source said of yesterday’s meeting: “It was very much about getting a grip on things.
“One way to do that is beef-up the council response.
“Let’s be honest – it hasn’t been great. It’s going t o be a pan-London task force and it will start work straight away.”
Mrs May released a statement after yesterday’s meeting.
She said: “The response of the emergency services, NHS and the community has been heroic.
“But, frankly, the support on the ground for families who needed help or basic information in the initial hours after this appalling disaster was not good enough.
“I have heard the concerns and I have ordered immediate action across the board to help victims’ relatives and the survivors.
“People lost everything in the fire and were left in only the clothes they were wearing. I can confirm a £5million emergency fund that I announced yesterday is now being distributed on the ground so people can buy clothes, food and other essentials.
“If more funding is required, it will be provided.”
The task force, managed by City of London chief executive John Barradell, will co-ordinate official relief efforts in the area, alongside an army of volunteers handled by the British Red Cross.
It comes after it was revealed volunteers were stepping in to cover vital council services. Food and other essential items have been brought to centres close to the scene in West London but some of the goods have yet to be distributed.
The council came under further attack yesterday during a meeting of the Radical Housing Network, which is made up of different activist groups. After assembling at a community centre not far from the gutted tower block, dozens of people discussed “next steps” in supporting displaced residents.
Members of the Justice for Grenfell group were too traumatised to attend, the meeting heard.
Moyra Samuels, a teacher who