Grenfell Tower tragedy continued

[RhythmAndStealth]

Twelve people confirmed dead with that number expected to rise significantly.

Many others injured and distressed. People have lost relatives, friends and their homes.

250 firefighters in attendance, risking their lives in an unprecented fire and it's aftermath. Other emergency services and NHS staff working hard to help survivors.

Many questions to be answered.

to all those affected and everyone helping.

user I would be flabbergasted if it transpired that ANY HNW individuals lived in that building. A smattering of MC FTBs or private tenants is standard for a London council estate because £250k is so extremely cheap.

Neither could I...but that's a whole different thread about the London housing prices.

Sorry user, but you're wrong. Some were owner occupied after tight to buy and others privately let, but I doubt many very wealthy people were living there. It's a council estate, not Kensington Palace!

stitch I think theceoman who represented them was on news night earlier.

If anyone can watch newnight on catch up. You really should.

She was amazing and had a lot of facts, it was a live interview, and the BBC seemed to panic (maybe for legal reasons) over what she was saying, as they are viewed as accusations and they should get the other side too.....

I'm not holding my breath, Serf.
The outrage will die down. There will be another disaster. A certain percentage of the site will be sold to prvate interests, and that will be good as the profits made will allow the tenants, or some other twbants, to be rehoused in Hull
Things will seep on and this will be another footnote brought up by cranks on discussion shows

Oops sorry about the 'goat', meant 'flat' obviously

@Serf
I typed a proper reply and it got eaten!
Suffice to say, yes, ut should be look at West Hendon and all the other profiteering shit that goes on. We are run by truly nasty folk and I don't know what we can do about it.

It's just the completely crazy London housing economy user.

What would be a stretch elsewhere is bargain basement prices in London. I'd guess perfectly normal houses in surrounding streets are worth about £3-4 MILLION now.

The average home in Kensington is £1.4m - houses will be far more so £250k is cheap cheap. I live in a fairly poor borough but paid significantly more than that for a 1-bed flat.

Poverty IS relevant.

*There was a woman on newnight earlier

Thanks TheWitchAndTrevor I will look that up now.

I posted this on the other thread but as it is full, another poster requested I post it here so more can see it.

Link

It IS political. And we need to talk about why this kind of thing happens. Don't let it be swept under the rug like so much else.

'A lot of insurance companies won't touch composite clad buildings - it's great for insulation but terrible in a fire - lots of restrictions on say ha ugh good pictures that pierce the cladding - should never have been used'

But very many buildings have been recently cladded, including public buildings like schools. Somebody must be insuring them.

Has anyone got a link to what the insulating filling behind the rain panels was?

Which brings me to another point. I did a quick calculation earlier based Huw Edwards' figures that the average occupancy of those flats was about 5 people. That's despite half of them being 1 bed flats and half of them being 2 beds.

That sounds like distinct overcrowding to me. (About double what I'd expect). Did K&C just tear up their own rulebooks? Or did it come about through family growth and because there was nowhere to move people on to?

stitch i saw a screenshot of that on Twitter. Disgusting.

How many of those who have inhaled smoke will be left with permanent lung damage.

And will then face endless form filling for PIP and repeat assessments.

well I am on the average national salary and could no way afford quarter of a million. Kensington is a very expensive place. I have three bedroom property costing significantly less, about eight miles away. sorry, I have no idea what n HNW is, but they were smart, expensive flats, privately owned. Some council tenants, but poverty is nothing to do with this, it really isn't.

There may be many reasons, faults and failings found, but its silly to waste time and get het up about some imaginary political point about people dying because they were poor.

Serf, I am guessing but I thought official rules on overcrowding were either abandoned or ignored.

I need to find out what my baking hot building uses for insulation, it's bloody good in winter but I am beginning to wonder, also fire regs weren't as good when this was built I guess.

The interview is about 13mins in.
(I haven't watched to see if the interview has been edited)

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08vf6mw/newsnight-14062017

User that's the whole point of the London housing crisis - no one can afford the prices because they're so ridiculously high. 250k is considered an absolute bargain. How this can be lost on you when you're 8 miles away I don't know. I'm 800 miles away and I'm aware of it.

Serf, I am guessing but I thought official rules on overcrowding were either abandoned or ignored.

Must have been. I hope it all comes out.

User, unless I'm losing my marbles those were not posh flats and this is about poverty. I'm amazed anyone could get one for £250k, my small flat in outer zone woukd allegedly go for more than that now.

Slim, I just checked mine and it is mineral wool.

So it cannot be all cladding that is insulated with flammable materials.

There is a guy on the news saying that in the US, the kind of cladding in this tragedy would not be legal for fire reasons.

Im listening to Radio 5 Live. They have just done the headlines for tomorrows papers.

The Daily Mail is going with How Could This Happen.

After the way they have spent years...........YEARS demonizing poorer people.

One of the biggest examples of cognitive dissonance ever.

"Has anyone got a link to what the insulating filling behind the rain panels was?"

I read on another forum that it was the flammable version (Polyurethane?), and a Sky journalist picked a chunk up off the street and burned it in front of the camera.

The Sun (apologies) seems to have details:

www.thesun.co.uk/news/3800401/grenfell-tower-cladding-fires-world-high-rise/

Sserf, I mean in general, not just in that building.