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14th Jun 2018

One year on from Grenfell and fewer than half the affected families have been fully rehoused

The council originally promised that all the victims would be in permanent homes within a year of the tragedy

Oli Dugmore

The council originally promised that all the victims would be in permanent homes within a year of the tragedy

198 households from Grenfell have accepted new homes but only 82 have actually moved in, according to Kensington and Chelsea Council, because the properties are not ready.

A guarantee was made to all of the blaze’s victims, by the government and council, that they would be rehoused in permanent accommodation in less than a year.

72 people died in Britain’s biggest fire since the Second World War and, to mark its anniversary, a series of London landmarks have been illuminated in green light.

Many households were left in hotels for months, despite Theresa May promising to offer good quality temporary accommodation to all those displaced with a self-imposed deadline of three weeks.

 

Kensington and Chelsea Council says it has sourced nearly 1,000 homes since the fire and spent £235m securing 307 properties.

A spokesperson for the council told Sky News: “(We are) working in partnership with each person and each family to fit out and adapt homes to the specific requirements they have given us and we are also providing new furniture and fixtures and fitting.

“In addition, while some families and individuals have chosen and reserved their permanent home, they do not yet feel ready to move for their own personal reasons. For some it may be that their children have exams, or they may wish to stay where they are for the anniversary which is a testing time for those affected.”

Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “The families involved are not statistics that need to be moved around a balance sheet. So, we will no longer set deadlines. They are not required.

“What is required is understanding, support, and above all a willingness to do everything we can to help. No matter how large or small the task. We must do everything we can to rehouse families as quickly as possible and support them in rebuilding their lives.”