Five weeks on tensions remain high
Residents of the Grenfell Tower heckled and booed the new leader of Kensington and Chelsea council in the first full council meeting since the fire last night.
Elisabeth Campbell faced shouts of ‘shame on you’, ‘resign’ and ‘murderers’ as she was formally appointed as council leader at the meeting as protesters and survivors could be heard shouting from the public gallery.
Campbell replaces Nicholas Paget-Brown who resigned in the wake of the devastating fire which killed at least 80 people.
Addressing the meeting she said: “We meet at a time of unimaginable grief and sorrow. The Grenfell fire is the biggest civilian disaster in this country for a generation.”
She admitted that the council has ‘let down’ the victims of the tragedy and said: “I am deeply sorry for the grief and trauma you are suffering.
“I am deeply sorry we did not do more to help you when you needed it the most.”
Tensions and anger were running high at the meetings as families are still unable to bury their loved ones who lost their lives as many victims hare yet to be identified.
One member of the public shouted to the council “You’ve let the dead down and now you want to come for the living.”
Some survivors are still living in hotels awaiting to be rehoused five weeks on promoting accusations that the council has been slow to react and is not doing enough to re-house them.
Robert Atkinson, the leader of the Labour opposition on the council, again called for commissioners to take over the running of the Conservative run council, he told Campbell she was ‘part of the old regime’ and that there was ‘nothing’ the council could do to restore confidence with the local people.
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