Grenfell Tower fire disaster leader quits after response
THE leader of the council dealing with the Grenfell Tower fire last night resigned following criticism of his handling of the disaster.
Nicholas Paget-Brown said he had to accept responsibility for “perceived failings” by Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council after the tragedy which claimed at least 80 lives.
The council had come under increased pressure after a disaster meeting was halted abruptly on Thursday evening when reporters gained entry, and reports of cost-cutting during the refurbishment of the tower.
Separately, the organisation which manages Grenfell Tower in west London announced its chief executive would “step aside” to concentrate on the public inquiry, which Jeremy Corbyn has called to be broadened.
Mr Paget-Brown acknowledged the council had been criticised for “failing to answer all the questions that people have” but that the scale of the tragedy “was always going to mean that one borough alone would never have sufficient resources to respond to all the needs of the survivors and those made homeless, on its own”.
He said: “As council leader I have to accept my share of responsibility for these perceived failings. In particular, my decision to accept legal advice that I should not compromise the public inquiry by having an open discussion in public yesterday, has itself become a political story.
“And it cannot be right that this should have become the focus of attention when so many are dead or still unaccounted for. I have therefore decided to step down as leader of the council as soon as a successor is in place. They will appoint a new deputy leader and cabinet.”
Mr Paget-Brown, whose deputy leader councillor Rock Feilding-Mellen also resigned, added that his successor must ensure the strengths of the borough “are seen to play their part in bringing the community together” and helping residents move forward.
Downing Street said the council should have “respected” a High Court ruling that the press and public should be allowed into the meeting, the first cabinet gathering since the disaster. A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “Our view is that access to democracy should always be easy and we think that is vital if people want to retain confidence in our democratic system.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who welcomed the resignation, has written to Prime Minister Theresa May urging her to appoint “untainted” commissioners with “a genuine empathy for local people and the situation they face” to take over the running of the council until the next local council elections.
He said: “The council now needs to find a way to move forward and find a way to restore the confidence in that community.
“That can only be done with new leadership and a new approach that reaches out to residents who quite rightly feel desperately neglected.”
Mr Corbyn has also appealed to the Prime Minister to increase the scope of the public inquiry.
He has asked for a two-part inquiry, the first looking at specific issues around the fire in Kensington, west London and reporting back soon, with an additional second part “looking at the national issues”.
Chairwoman of the Lancaster West Residents Association, Olesea Matcovschi, is also calling for it to be widened, citing concerns after members met with inquiry head Sir Martin Moore-Bick and were “presented with a very narrow terms of reference”.
Labour councillor Robert Atkinson, whose ward includes Grenfell Tower, told Sky News he was relieved at the resignation, adding it was necessary “because he has totally failed in the leadership role in the time since the disaster happened, which is now almost two weeks ago.”
He also believes the inquiry into the fire should be widened, describing the fallout as a “city-wide problem”.
In a separate development, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) announced it had agreed chief executive Robert Black would “step aside” to “concentrate on assisting with the investigation and inquiry”.
Built in 1974, Grenfell Tower in west London was recently refurbished at a cost of £8.6m, with work completed in May last year.
The council is also under pressure following reports that cladding used during a multi-million-pound refurbishment of the high-rise was switched to a cheaper version.
Both The Times and the BBC said they had seen official documents which stated aluminium panels were preferred to the non-combustible zinc alternative.
Reports by The Times and BBC suggested a saving of nearly £300,000 had been made by opting for “downgraded” cladding.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Sir Ed Davey said: “These suggestions that plans to use fireproof zinc cladding were scrapped in favour of a cheaper aluminium cladding to drive down costs are real cause for concern.
“This needs to be investigated fully at the public inquiry with no stone left unturned.”
Meanwhile, an independent panel set up to advise on immediate safety improvements suggested that cladding which has failed safety tests may not have to be stripped from buildings in all cases.
The Independent Expert Advisory Panel chaired by the Government’s former chief fire and rescue adviser Sir Ken Knight met for the first time on Thursday and issued its first advice yesterday.
It said that in any cases where panels fail combustibility tests, landlords should follow interim safety measures issued last week, which involve thorough checks on fire precautions throughout buildings but do not require the immediate removal of cladding.