Latest news with #EmmaO'Connor
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Rapid purchase of properties for Grenfell residents criticised
A London council is trying to sell 14 properties it bought to house the survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy that are in such a poor state that they cannot be rented and Chelsea Council said it knowingly took some risks purchasing the properties "in the necessary interest of speed", a council report authority had to find homes for hundreds of residents displaced by the fire in Grenfell Tower in June 2017, in which 72 people died and more than 70 were injured. In all, they bought a total of 290 group Grenfell Next of Kin said the admission was just one example of "epic failures in the aftermath of a disaster". A council spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Purchasing 290 homes in 2017 was an unprecedented challenge, and the council knowingly took some risks to complete sales quickly."The authority said it soon became evident some of the properties were unsuitable and would prove difficult to bring up to the high safety standards required for social housing. They added the purchases would not have been made had more detailed information been available and had the "necessity of the circumstances" been different."This included conducting only limited surveys and purchasing privately owned properties that we assumed could be made suitable for social housing," they said."It is inevitable that quality will vary when purchasing this many properties at speed, especially as many had been in private ownership."The council wants to sell 14 homes it purchased because they are in such a poor state that they cannot be brought up to standard, which has raised questions about council processes and a waste of taxpayer money. Emma O'Connor, who escaped in a lift from the 20th floor with her partner, accused the council of failing to learn from its said: "They don't investigate before they do something. Rush is the biggest red flag. You cannot rush fire safety."People's lives mean more than money. If it takes a long time [to find a suitable property], so be it. It's a human right to live somewhere safe."Survivors group Grenfell Next of Kin said the admission was "the tip of the iceberg".They said: "The decision made by the Tory government in the immediate aftermath of the fire to leave the same negligent Tory council in charge of the aftermath with a blank cheque, without any oversight or scrutiny, was a grave misstep, harmful for the victims and irresponsible."Kensington and Chelsea Council said residents were moved on once issues were raised with the properties it purchased after the tragedy. Some of the properties were never occupied due to safety issues such as unusual layouts or fire escape council said it would reinvest the proceeds from the sales back into social housing in the February, the government said the 24-storey Grenfell Tower would be gradually dismantled. A spokesperson said the process was expected to take around two years and it would be done "sensitively", with no changes to the building before the eighth anniversary of the disaster in June.
BBC News
24-02-2025
- BBC News
Grenfell Tower contractor to challenge council ban in court
A contractor involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower before the 2017 fire is mounting a legal challenge to a ban by Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC).It comes after RBKC extended a ban in November on contractors involved in the tower's refurbishment including Kingspan, Celotex, Arconic and Rydon - with more companies, including Siderise Insulation, added said the council's decision was "without foundation or justification" because its products do not meet the council's own criteria for the a spokesperson for RBKC said the council stood by its decision. Emma O'Connor, who escaped in a lift from the 20th floor with her partner during the fire, said she was shocked to hear of Siderise Insulation's legal challenge."My first thoughts were 'they can't be serious'. We didn't ask for our lives to be disrupted by this fire. It's complete and utter disbelief," she told the Local Democracy Reporting manufactured some of the cavity barriers used in the tower's 2015-16 the company launched judicial review proceedings against the council on Tuesday, arguing the ban on its products was "unwarranted" because they did not meet the council's own criteria for the ban. A Siderise spokesperson said: "While Siderise products were used in the Grenfell refurbishment, the Grenfell Inquiry report is clear that neither Siderise nor its products contributed to the tragic fire or its spread, and there is no suggestion that Siderise was not candid before the inquiry, and therefore this exclusion is unwarranted."The RBKC decision is therefore without foundation or justification. "Siderise is acting to protect its reputation as a British manufacturer which supplies its products globally." The Grenfell Inquiry's Phase 2 report found no evidence of Siderise acting dishonestly on its part but said some aspects of the company's marketing materials "gave cause for concern".It also found Siderise had supplied cavity barriers for use in voids larger than those for which they had been tested. The firm manufactured the Lamatherm cavity barriers used in the the spokesperson for Siderise said its products were and still are fit for purpose and that criticism of Siderise's marketing literature is not that it stated something incorrectly, but that it did not state further information that would have been helpful so was December, the government also started plans to ban firms involved in the Grenfell Tower fire from public housing minister Alex Norris said at the time the Prime Minister had written to 49 firms, adding it was "the first step to stopping them being awarded government contracts". Siderise said it had not received a letter from the government and did not expect to be part of any restriction in the government's forthcoming announcements on the matter.
The Independent
06-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Families angry and feel ignored on Grenfell Tower demolition decision
The demolition of Grenfell Tower could mean the injustice of the fatal fire is put out of sight and out of mind, a survivor has said. The Government's decision, shared with families at a private meeting on Wednesday evening, has prompted anger and claims that the voices of many loved ones had been ignored. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, is understood to have been met with gasps from a shocked room of mostly bereaved people who felt there had not been enough consultation. Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved and survivors, said it appeared from the room that 'no-one supported her decision'. It is understood some asked if the decision could be reversed. An official update is expected on Friday, but the Government has previously said there will be no changes to the west London site before the eighth anniversary of the disaster – which claimed 72 lives – in June. What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the disaster, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words 'forever in our hearts'. In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged 'in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down'. Grenfell United said housing secretaries in the years since the June 2017 fire had been repeatedly urged to 'consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the tower'. In a statement on Wednesday night, they said: 'Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower. 'She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation. 'But judging from the room alone – the vast majority of whom were bereaved – no-one supported her decision. But she claims her decision is based on our views.' Emma O'Connor, who lived on the 20th floor and managed to escape the burning block on the night, said there had been hope among some that while part of the tower might come down, some of it could be retained and 'erected into a standing memorial'. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If it's really unstable then it should be taken down from the top to the 10th floor, which they say is the most unstable, so it then can be erected into a standing memorial. 'To me, it just seems like if it's out of sight, it's definitely out of mind for the people that are actually responsible for the lack of respect to human beings.' Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones' gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable Grenfell United On the format of the meeting, Ms O'Connor said: 'It was: 'I've made this decision, I'll take questions now.' 'We had three questions at a time and then they would reply back to us, but they're not answering questions, like they're not saying if the decision is reversible, like to actually make sure that something can be erected at a height, like to have a standing memorial.' A spokesperson for Grenfell Next Of Kin, a separate group representing some bereaved families, said while the decision was 'obviously a very sensitive and difficult' one, families 'understand the hard facts around safety.' The spokesperson said Ms Rayner had 'announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed'. They added: 'For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children – but they understand the hard facts around safety.' But Grenfell United said the meeting 'showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision'. They added: 'Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones' gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable'. Views have varied on what should happen on the site, with some feeling the tower should remain in place until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of 'decades of failure' by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. Police and prosecutors have previously said investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026. The near 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as 'unbearable'. Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a 'sacred space', designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. It is expected a planning application for a memorial could be submitted in late 2026. A Government spokesperson said: 'The priority for the Deputy Prime Minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower. 'This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.'
