Grenfell Tower management stripped of responsibility

The organisation that manages Grenfell Tower is to be removed for the west London estate it is part of, says Theresa May.

Theresa May told the survivors of the fire, which left at least 80 dead, that the tenant management organisation was being stripped of its powers in a recent meeting. She said residents were ‘pleased’ to hear the news.

Meanwhile, council leaders have said that nine permanent accommodation offers have now been accepted by survivors. But while one household has moved into a new home, more than 180 remain in hotels and temporary accommodation.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: “I was pleased that I was able to tell them that the tenant management organisation will no longer have responsibility for the Lancaster West housing estate. People were pleased to hear that.”

The management, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), was responsible for Grenfell and the surrounding area. It was established in 1996 to manage almost 10,000 properties in the borough, but has been heavily criticised by residents following the fire.

May said she was also asked about emergency funds, including charitable donations, reaching survivors. She said: “Obviously, the Charities Commission and others have been involved in ensuring that that is happening.”

The meeting comes after May faced criticism for initially failing to meeting survivors when she visited the scene after the tragedy, and was booed on a later visit.

The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Elizabeth Campbell, said she would consider ‘all options’ for the future management of the estate. She said there was ‘no future role’ for TMO in the Lancaster West estate and residents would be asked about a replacement.

She also vowed the council would spend ‘every penny’ of its reserves on rehousing victims - and £76 million would be made available shortly.

She said: “We've built up reserves and we built them up in case of emergencies, and this is an emergency. And we will spend that.

"That's right that we should do it - these are our neighbours. If you don't spend money on your neighbours in an emergency, then when do you spend it?"

She said victims still living in temporary accommodation would be rehoused as soon as possible, but it would be done according to ‘their need, not speed’.