Next PM ‘must keep promise’ over Grenfell
BEREAVED SAY THAT COMMITMENTS MUST BE HONOURED
THE leader of Kensington and Chelsea council has delivered a message to the next Prime Minister – to honour commitments made to people who were bereaved or survived the Grenfell Tower fire.
Conservative politician Elizabeth Campbell used her leader’s statement at the full council this week to warn the next person to take the helm at Number 10 – possibly Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Boris Johnson – they must deliver.
She warned the current and former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Mr Johnson, who are both vying for the top job, they must step up to the plate when the winner of the leadership contest takes over on July 24.
Councillor Campbell said: “Grenfell needs to remain a clear priority for the next government. The next Prime Minister needs to walk into Number 10 knowing that this community and this council is expecting to see commitments honoured. We expect the millions for the refurbishment of the Lancaster West estate and we expect the families to receive NHS support and funding for the future. We expect the inquiry to move quickly, be thorough and find the truth.”
Shortly after the fire in June 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May visited the area in North Kensington and promised to rehouse the traumatised survivors within three weeks – a pledge which proved undeliverable.
Last month she angered the bereaved and survivors by mentioning Grenfell in her resignation speech. She said she “set up the independent inquiry into the tragedy at Grenfell Tower to search for the truth so that nothing like it can ever happen again, and so the people who lost their lives that night are never forgotten”.
However, Grenfell United, which represents 80% of the bereaved and survivors from the Tower, said they were “devastatingly let down by the government”.
GU is campaigning for the removal of combustible material from all tower blocks, more tests and a ban on more cladding than currently outlawed by the government. It also wants stronger fire safety measures, a new regulator for social housing and a stronger voice for tenants.