We need scrutiny and transparency
THE resignation of Kensington and Chelsea council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown should have come on the morning after the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, not more than two weeks after the event.
He has obviously had a huge amount of pressure exerted on him, but even so could only bring himself to refer to the “perceived” failings of the council in dealing with the tragedy.
It is ironic that what precipitated his departure was not the circumstances of the fire itself – and the council’s actual failings – but a row over media access to a council meeting at which the fire was discussed.
Even papers like the Daily Mail turned against the Conservativecontrolled council after Mr PagetBrown thought it appropriate to hold the meeting in secret, even when the High Court ruled that it should be open to the public. It’s likely that was a major factor in his downfall.
There are too many people like this now former council leader in public life. They resent the scrutiny that is a vital part of our democracy. Mr Paget-Brown’s excuse for wanting to hold the meeting in private was that whatever was said at it could compromise the public inquiry which will take place into the causes of the fire. But such an argument is a typically bureaucratic response which fails to take account of the fact that survivors and the relatives of those who perished expect complete transparency in the way this matter is now handled.
The council cabinet’s deliberations should take place in the full glare of public scrutiny – and if there are embarrassing or discreditable revelations, so be it. No-one should be allowed to hide from accountability simply because a further hearing of a different kind is taking place later. The highly experienced retired Court of Appeal judge who will be heading the inquiry into the tragedy cannot be prejudiced by what a few councillors may say in Kensington Town Hall.
Unfortunately, however, there continues to be too much of an official mindset in Britain which believes that things that go wrong should be kept from public view for as long as possible. Getting justice for the victims of Grenfell Tower involves making sure that what happened is discussed openly by the authorities. Closing down debate would make it easier for those who are culpable to avoid being held to account.
Theresa May’s own role in the aftermath of the fire did her and her party no favours. She doubtless realises now that a show of greater compassion would have been the right thing to do. Sadly, it has taken a long time for the council leader to realise that he had to resign – even though he apparently continues to believe he has done nothing wrong and it’s all simply a matter of perception. We need a culture change on various fronts, getting rid of the small-minded mentality which seeks to avoid transparency by making protocol more important than substance. At least 80 people have lost their lives. Getting to the truth of what happened must be the overriding priority. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2014 was 78.5%