Grenfell now echoes the failings over decades
Readers of this blog will not have been surprised at this week`s criticism of the Grenfell Tower landlord which is contained in the final report on the terrible fire seven years ago, pictured below, in which 72 people died.
No surprise because much of the criticism is very similar to the vast range of criticism of housing landlords- particularly the Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association- that has appeared on this blog for many years.
Let us recall that long standing criticism by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation which publishes this blog.
Seven years ago the blog post was devoted to the trajedy. The post is reproduced below. It makes similar criticism about the trajedy with what this week`s final report had to say.
This week`s report says that Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO)
managed the whole of the council`s housing
stock, including Grenfell, with duties
including repairs, maintenance and fire safety.
The report goes on:“ From 2011 to 2017, the relationship between KCTMO and its residents was `increasingly characterised by distrust, dislike, personal antagonism and anger.`
"It `lost sight of the fact that the residents were people who depended on it for a safe and decent home.`
"KCTMO `allowed` this relationship with its customers to deteriorate`, which the report said was `a serious failure on its part to observe its basic responsibilities`.
This is what Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation said at the time of the disaster and published in this blog :
" Once again the plight of Britain`s voiceless tenants is getting attention nationwide. This week, Kate Henderson pictured, the leader of the country`s housing associations spoke out saying that these tenants were not really valued and it is time they were.
"Ms Henderson is the recently - appointed chief executive of the National Housing Federation .What she said is almost identical to what the housing minister Mr Kit Malthouse MP said in an interview highlighted last week in a post on this blog, Community Voice Carlisle.
" Both Ms Henderson and Mr Malthouse agreed that the Grenfell disaster was the key catalyst recently to giving a voice to the voiceless tenants.
“ `The need for change for these tenants is most starkly exemplified by the lessons from the devastating Grenfell Tower fire `.said 38-year-old Ms Henderson in an interview with the social housing journal Inside Housing.
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“ `I think one of the starkest things which came out of Grenfell and is coming out of the inquiry now is people feeling voiceless, and that it can’t be allowed to happen again.`
"Ms Henderson has now embarked on a nationwide road trip, meeting housing associations up and down the country.
“ `I have spent a lot of time working with local government. I have gone to lots of events, and I am often the only woman around the table.
“ `In terms of my early engagement, I don’t want to just meet members in board rooms I want to meet residents, I want to see the homes housing associations have built and hear what people think,` she said.
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"She was asked what she would consider as success in her role leading the federation. She said: `The first thing is empowered tenants, a change in conversation, which is already happening, in terms of tenants feeling really valued.
"Perhaps Ms Henderson will visit Carlisle on her nationwide road trip.She might then drop in on the offices of Riverside Housing Association a giant Liverpool organisation that bought the city`s 6,000 former council houses 16 years ago.
"In the last few months Riverside has been facing the issue of voiceless tenants after challenges from Carlisle city councillors. Councillors want these tenants to have a say in a new Riverside-city council liaison group.
"A lot of negotiating took place but Riverside would have none of it. Tenants are to be allowed submit items for the agenda at liaison group meetings But having a say at these meetings is forbidden says Riverside`s northern director Sarah Paton.
"Perhaps Ms Henderson will have something to say about that if she visits Carlisle.
"Riverside`s opposition to a democratic voice for tenantrs is no surprise. One of its first acts on taking over the Carlisle houses in 2002 was to abolish all community groups that were set up by the council. Since then Riverside has consistently opposed any tenants` democracy.
"One group that luckily survived the deplorable Riverside cull was Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation ( then known as Carlisle and Rural Tenants` Federation) .
Community Voice Carlisle is published by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation. For information about the federation, ring 01228 522277.
