On Wednesday evening, I attended the first open council meeting of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council (RBKC) since the
Grenfell Tower fire. The last meeting barred the public and, initially, the press until a court order demanded we be let in – then the meeting was adjourned due to our presence. On Wednesday, locals queued outside but were told there was limited space so most would be able to watch only by videolink. The journalists were patted down by security guards and had our bags searched before being allowed into the chamber.
A number of survivors were granted seats in the chamber. Part of the agenda was given over to hearing their testimony and that of their family members. The testimonies were harrowing, full of both insurmountable, open grief and uncontrollable anger at both the repeated refusal to listen to residents’ concerns before the blaze, and their shambolic and callous treatment since.
The aunt of missing Jessica Urbano told the council she had emailed the council’s new leader Elizabeth Campbell about the treatment of her 13-year-old niece’s family, but had received no reply. Another escapee said: “I wish I had lain down and died in the inferno, because the children that went to bed and turned to ash in that tower did not deserve to die. We need closure. We know you can’t bring back the dead, but you can treat them better than dogs. Britain is a banana republic now.”
Throughout the meeting, those allowed inside complained vociferously about the fact that many survivors were locked out, or in a balcony above the main chamber, prevented from speaking. Residents outside hammered on the locked doors as security held them back, and those inside demanded they be let in, further panicked by the fact that security staff appeared to have locked the fire doors in a particularly cruel irony. Every response from Conservative councillors was met with boos, heckles and calls to resign and stand down. It was clear that no residents present had any faith in the leadership’s ability to address concerns about housing across the borough, and the Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors present repeatedly called for commissioners to be brought in and the leadership to stand down.
