London Fire: Grenfell Tower thread five

[RhythmAndStealth]

RIP

Five victims officially named
At least 79 victims expected, possibly more
Many displaced and struggling

To all those affected and all those helping

Thread four
Thread three
Thread three contains links to threads one and two.

Of course it means people on the housing waiting list will have to wait longer, but the housing duty lies with RBKC. The residents of Grenfell are homeless and qualify for exceptional priority due to the circumstances (as anyone who is a rbkc social housing tenant would do if their home was destroyed by fire), plus there is a discretionary priority that can be made at an executive level for people in such traumatic circumstances. It is only right that they should go to the top of the housing list. The thought that they should go into temporary accomodation as homeless to then wait years on the housing lists when they were already tenants is just wrong.

I understand people who have been waiting longer on the highest priority will feel annoyed at having to wait longer, but the residents of Grenfell didn't ask for this, they are the victims.

Just as people who have less priority and have been on the housing list for 10+ years have to wait longer when someone's health takes a turn for the worse leading to increased priority need to be moved. It is what is right.

People making nasty comments need to take a long hard look at themselves.

As much as I understand the frustration of being on the social housing list, anyone jealous that a GT resident has "jumped the queue" should give their head a wobble!

I don't know if this has been posted but the Tate will be showing art work of the wonderfully talented Khadija Saye in her memory and all who lost their lives at Grenfell Tower on 14 June. Khadija Saye, Sothiou 2017, on view at Tate Britain t.co/oa5f6koU3b

twitter.com/Tate/status/877185175544881154

I hope to go next week. A clear talent lost x

I've just seen a video of a woman who I am unsure who she is suggesting that the reason the government are not releasing the exact number of dead bodies found is because they are strategically trying to fizzle the story out of the media and do not want more coverage for weeks

Albadross what a lovely gesture that was.

Kensington and Chelsea Chief Executive steps down

May apologizes for "failures of state, local and national"

London mayor attends first funeral of Grenfell Tower victim

RIP

Did you see the article about residents being housed in luxury flats in Kensington?

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/21/rehousing-of-grenfell-tower-families-in-luxury-block-meets-mixed-response

I cannot believe some of the responses!!

Like this one...Among those exercising dogs and small children, the views were more mixed. “It’s so unfair,” said Maria, who was reading the news in the Evening Standard with two neighbours.

She bought her flat two years ago for a sum she was unwilling to disclose. “We paid a lot of money to live here, and we worked hard for it. Now these people are going to come along, and they won’t even be paying the service charge.”

'These people'!!!!

Bloody hell.

It's hard to see racism and bigotry in action gluteus. 'Not on my doorstep' sort of shite. Cunts.

As an Irish woman in England, I rarely experience bigotry. But I have, and when you do, it's like a kick into your gut. It stomachs you and renders you speechless. I'm privileged though for it to be so seldom that I really don't notice.

I'm so glad Stormzy was on that video. He must have felt like home to the victims.

I pray for all lost and moreso for those grieving. It's not right. I hope you find solace in your faith some way. And in the solidarity of the rest of us too. It shouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry it did.

How can they be so bloody heartless. People died in that fire. Children died BABIES. A five year old boy is a baby IMO.

The survivors are shocked and utterly traumatised. And they are still being "othered" and spoken about like they are nothing by those utterly snobbish snooty cunts.

Words fail me FFS!

Yes, it's very hard to see it in action

I'm so sorry for their unimaginable pain. And as for the lives cut short...unfair doesn't even cover it.

When that lady responds with 'it's so unfair' probably with foot stamping ...wow, there are no words 😶

www.standard.co.uk/news/london/grenfell-tower-inquest-opens-into-deaths-of-fire-victims-who-have-been-identified-by-police-a3570321.html

Money comes above humanity to some people.

New public advocate role created for bereaved families in the wake of Grenfell Tower

They are unfortunately in the snobbiest part of London. It's where they call home, God love them. I know in East London where I live they would be welcomed ten times over. Are we going to subject them to being fucking snubbed now by the millionaires? If so, they should be put into their own homes where no judgemental cunts are commenting and making them feel unwelcome. Jesus Christ. Buy the whole block out. I'm sure Maria would be happy to move. Bitch like her.

An emotional David Lammy talking to Owen Jones.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2017/jun/21/david-lammy-if-burning-in-your-home-is-not-political-i-dont-know-what-is-video?CMP=share_btn_tw

It's so sad Helena. A six month old baby is on sky news' pictures of the missing.... My heart breaks so much for the little things in fear. It's not right.

Meanwhile in various offices you have ass covering. Wearing suits.

Helena - I've audited this shit so I know what I'm talking about. People start to sweat. Every subcontractor is recalled to provide their documentation again. This was for standard audits.

I hope people at the top of the vulture chain are fucking losing their marbles right now.

Not sure why the residents of the posh flats are put out...didn't the developers have to have some flats as social housing to proceed building in the first place? Weren't they always going to be used for that purpose?
From what I've read the services (gym,pool) etc will be segregated...given that Grenfell had a creche, boxing club and play area, what will they be replaced with?
The only bit that doesn't add up is the ten mill bill...the developers making a big-hearted community-spirited grand gesture and losing 126 million in the process does not sound like any developer I know, the council allocations are presumably discounted but cost rate, never,
is it cynical to think they will get to develop the old Grenfell site when the tower is demolished?
A part of the article that is interesting is indeed, how many people on the original tenancies have come forward to:

• admit they were subletting
• tell police details of subletters (who may or may not have been murdered/cremated depending upon if they were subsubletting)
• try to blag their way out of it in the hope of claiming 5k, future compensation and a place in the new build (surely not but nothing would surprise me, some people claimed they were victims of 9/11 and weren't).

Do you believe any renters who sublet are coming forward at all given they may fear the implications or is that part of the amnesty?
What of the eleven private owners/leaseholds...are they expected to have their own insurers or will they or sadly, their beneficaries, be allowed a flat too? (I don't see why not given insurers will be looking at who was at fault presumably before payouts).

The mixed reactions are perplexing though. Some of the survivors inhaled God knows what (cyanide? CYANIDE?) and experienced trauma beyond our ken. They deserve not only a fresh start but also financial compensation for damages, personal loss and PTSD. I include subletters and migrants in that...but have to be honest in saying I would not want tenants who were never living in Grenfell because they were subletting to profit from this tragedy.

Gin

Why are you suggesting the flats were sublet? Have you heard of some that were?

Victoria Vasey, director of the North Kensington Law Centre,

"A lot of people were irregular in their tenancies and some were subletting. Some of them were illegal sub-tenancies," Vasey said.

The rents of the tenancies were below market levels. Some tenants may have sublet their tenancies illegally to make money.

So she has proof or 'may have'.

I had the impression she was offering pro bono advice to subletters and immigrants both legal and illegal, who were shitscared of accessing help.
I could be wrong though. I don't live in London so only have the say so of people that do and who would be surprised if some subletting wasn't going on.
You sound sceptical, as though you think all 127 flats were legit. Can I ask why?

Do you think people would be frothing so much over the re-housing news if the headlines had read "Existing social housing completion date moved forward to re-house Grenfell survivors"?

Because for all the talk of luxury housing and £2 Billion pound blocks, that's all it is. Units which were already committed to being social housing (affordable rent and shared ownership) are now being used to re-house Grenfell victims and their families.

The survivors won't be given the houses, they'll continue to rent them. The flats will continue to be owned by the City of London Corporation, the local authority for the Square Mile (nothing to do with Sadiq Khan, totally separate). The City of London Corporation have an endowment of over £1 Billion, built up over the last 800 years from property holding across London and other investments.

I hope the ruffled feathers over poor people in social housing in a borough being rehoused in other social housing within the same borough doesn't detract from the fact that people are:
Dead
Injured
Traumatised

Gin, here's one thing I know for sure. No-one who died in the fire is going to be rehoused in that other social housing.

It's pretty disgusting how the media splash has been "Grenfell Tower survivors to be rehoused in luxury flats" rather than "Existing social housing completion date moved forward". Complete with pictures of plush furnishings and swimming pools. Those flats were always going to be social housing.

There are lots of questions here, from "will survivors with PTSD be comfortable living in a block again?" to "what additional social housing will be built to replenish London's housing stocks?" and "what will happen with the Grenfell site?".

In the first place, the KCTMO needs to get it's act together to work out how to allocate re-housing.

But this must not detract from scrutiny over how this dreadful situation arose. And the fact that many men, women and children lost their lives. In a horrendous, gut-wrenching, heart breaking entirely preventable way.,

Why were residents' fears and concerns ignored for so long?
Why was flammable cladding used in contravention of building regulations?
Why didn't safety checks stop the cladding being used?
Why did the contractor use sub-standard cladding?
How many other buildings have this cladding?
If they do, what is going to be done about it?
Why were these unnecessary deaths allowed to happen?
Why did KCTMO have such a loose grasp on who was living there and who wasn't?
Why did RBKC fail to help residents quickly after the fire?
How can this be prevented from happening again?
Are the UK's fire and building regulations fit for purpose?

RIP