Review to ask FA about historical abuse cases
How did it come to this? Chaotic scenes as poor residents flee death trap high- rises to bag mattresses on a leisure centre floor. . . as up to 14,000 face evacuation
THE independent review into child sexual abuse in football has turned its attention to exactly what the FA knew about a ‘ handful’ of cases which were revealed as far back as 2005 by a previous inquiry by the Independent Football Commission.
And it is likely to examine exactly why the FA pulled funding on a ground-breaking research project on child abuse in the game in 2003, at a time when they were paying England manager Sven Goran Eriksson a reported £ 4million a year.
The FA commissioned the inquiry, led by Clive Sheldon QC, last year after several men came forward to allege they had been abused as boys while in the game, leading to the Operation Hydrant police investigation and a trial, which is ongoing.
The Sheldon review aims to establish just what clubs and the FA knew about alleged abuse and is also probing further into exactly what was done when the 2005 Independent Football Commission report found 250 cases of ‘abuse’ which required
UP TO 14,000 people across the country are facing evacuation from their homes after tower blocks failed fire safety tests.
So far, 34 high-rise buildings in cities including London, Manchester, Portsmouth and Plymouth have been identified as potential deathtraps requiring urgent action.
But that figure is expected to rise as tests continue following the Grenfell Tower disaster, which left at least 79 dead.
Already, 4,000 residents in Camden, North London, have been forced to abandon their homes without warning. Some 650 households were evacuated from the Chalcots Estate with less than an hour’s notice on Friday following a meeting between council officials and the London Fire Brigade.
Many families were forced to spend the night at the nearby Swiss Cottage leisure centre on airbeds amid what displaced resident described as ‘chaotic’ scenes.
And with other tower blocks now found to have been refurbished with the same combustible cladding as Grenfell, similar evacuations are expected elsewhere.
With Theresa May facing demands to declare a civil emergency last night, it was estimated the nationwide cost of housing residents while council-owned towers are made safe will hit tens of millions. Camden Council spent £500,000 on hotel rooms for just a single night, and another £100,000 on food and drink.
As safety fears widened on a day of chaos and confusion:
Birmingham’s council leader urged the Government to intervene with emergency funds, warning that people ‘up and down the country are going to bed afraid’;
Camden residents refusing to evacuate were threatened with removal by police;
Others were promised temporary flats in a development workmen said was ‘still a building site’;
It emerged Grenfell could have been prevented had fire safety rules in England been as tough as in Scotland;
One of the nation’s leading businessmen, who is behind a Grenfell fundraising initiative, said the ‘chaotic’ response to the disaster had led to a ‘breakdown of trust’ between politicians and people.
Birmingham council leader John Clancy said ‘we have to do what it takes’ to ensure the safety of the city’s 213 tower blocks.
‘This is a national emergency,’ he said. ‘The Government needs to accept it’s a national emergency and it needs to focus on this. As each day has gone by since this crisis started, there has been less clarity.’
Not all blocks found to have dangerous cladding similar to that used on Grenfell will need to be evacuated. The Prime Minister said it was possible for some councils to take ‘mitigating action’ enabling residents to stay put. But speaking in Liverpool yesterday, Mrs May said the Government would ensure councils take ‘immediate action’ over the failed tests, adding: ‘Absolutely our first priority is people’s safety.’ Camden Council said people from 83 households refused to leave on Friday night – and yest erday, despite t he threat of legal action, 50 were still vowing to stay in their homes. Steve Pirolli, 49, a lorry driver who lives on the fourth floor of Taplow Tower with his partner and her two daughters, said: ‘They put up the cladding around us so surely they can take it down around us?’
Some residents described being awoken by council staff in the early hours and warned that police would remove them if they didn’t leave.
Lauren Mitchell, 30, who has lived in one of the towers since she was two weeks old, said: ‘There was a knock at the door at 2am. It was a council official in an orange jacket.
‘He said if you don’t come out, the police will come and remove you.’
Along with her mother and stepfather, she spent the night in a nearby leisure centre.
Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said: ‘There are various legal