Council offering homes to London fire survivors
HOUSES IN NORTH EAST AVAILABLE FOR THOSE MADE HOMELESS
HOMELESS victims of the Grenfell tower block fire in London have been offered emergency accommodation in Northumberland.
Northumberland County Council has issued an “unconditional offer of help” to their Kensington counterparts, with the promise of finding housing for at least two families caught up in the disaster on either a temporary or permanent basis.
The council has offered to house people who were made homeless by the devastating blaze that tore through the tower block on Wednesday.
Council leader Peter Jackson said: “It may seem that we are a long way from this tragedy but we have at least promised to provide real help in this appalling situation.
“Our hearts go out to those people who are suffering so much and we have wasted no time to think about what we can do to help. Our council is open and inclusive and willing to be there for those in need. Our county has received help in recent times in dealing with our flooding event. Here we can see that we can offer a hand of help to another community in need.
“If many other councils across the country could offer similar help with the short-term problem of finding somewhere for the Grenfell families to live then we will have done something positive to help.”
Victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster who have been left homeless will be given at least £5,500 from an emergency fund, Theresa May announced last night.
Residents will be given £500 in cash followed by a bank payment for the rest from Monday.
The Prime Minister insisted the Government was doing everything possible to help those caught up in the tragedy.
The money will come from the £5 million fund announced by Mrs May on Friday.
No 10 said the £500 cash payment is already being handed out and further payments will be available from the Westway Centre and the nearby post office in Portobello Road.
Meanwhile, a company involved in the renovation of the tower was forced to deny cladding on the building was banned in the UK after comments made by Chancellor Philip Hammond.
It was reported that the material used in the cladding covering Grenfell was Reynobond PE – a cheaper, more flammable version of two available options.
Appearing on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hammond said: “My understanding is the cladding in question, this flammable cladding which is banned in Europe and the US, is also banned here.”
John Cowley, managing director of CEP Architectural Facades, which produced rainscreen panels and windows for Grenfell Tower’s cladding sub-contractor Harley Facades Ltd, said: “Reynobond PE is not banned in the UK. Current building regulations allow its use in both low-rise and high-rise structures.
“The key question now is whether the overall design of the building’s complete exterior was properly tested and subsequently signed off by the relevant authorities including the fire officer, building compliance officer and architect before commencement of the project.”