The Kensington and Chelsea Council is attempting to sell 14 properties acquired for Grenfell Tower survivors, deemed unsuitable for renting due to their poor condition. After the tragic fire in June 2017, the council purchased 290 homes to quickly house displaced residents. However, some properties were unsuitable and difficult to upgrade to social housing standards, raising concerns about the council's quick purchasing decisions. Survivors' groups are condemning these actions as indicative of systemic failure post-disaster, emphasizing the need for improved processes in future emergency responses.
Purchasing 290 homes in 2017 was an unprecedented challenge, and the council knowingly took some risks to complete sales quickly.
Survivors group Grenfell Next of Kin said the admission was just one example of "epic failures in the aftermath of a disaster".
It is inevitable that quality will vary when purchasing this many properties at speed, especially as many had been in private ownership.
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.
Collection
[
|
...
]