Grenfell Tower residents had little to smile about when disgruntled leaseholders and tenants met with our local MP, Victoria Borwick, along with Peter Maddison and Sacha Jevans from the TMO, in the Community Rooms at Lancaster West Estate on the morning of 14th December.
Residents listened with a sense of anger and incredulity as Peter Maddison, the man they believe is responsible for bringing so much misery and torment to the inhabitants of Grenfell Tower, refused to take responsibility for the past failings and current lamentable state of the Improvement works and contemptuously dismissed the legitimate concerns of those present.
It seems like very few of the complaints raised by residents to Mr Maddison at previous meetings will be investigated and no-one should be under any illusions about the prospects of Rydon ever returning to move already installed HIU from hallways to kitchen.
To add insult to injury, neither Maddison nor Jevans were able to provide a cogent answer as to why over 60% of residents have responded to a recent survey stating that they felt “harassed and lied to” by the TMO during the Grenfell Tower Improvement Works.
As the meeting progressed, and the answers supplied by the TMO began to fall apart, it became clear to all present (including Lady Borwick) that our landlord has failed spectacularly to satisfactorily oversee the Grenfell Tower Improvement works.
Residents used this opportunity to seek the support of Lady Borwick to call for an independent Investigation of the TMO and requested that this be conducted by an organisation or individual who has no links with RBKC or the TMO. While this matter and the topic of how any such investigation might be funded was being discussed, Peter Maddison sat ashen faced at the prospect of having the ill-treatment of Grenfell Tower residents exposed to a wider audience.
We believe that Lady Borwick left the meeting in no doubt that a great injustice and trauma has been inflicted on this community as a result of the appalling management of the Improvement Works and we must now trust that she will keep her word by supporting residents in their call for an independent investigation into Mr Maddison, Claire Williams and others at the TMO.
Bearing in mind that Grenfell Tower is only the first of a number of tower blocks in North Kensington facing refurbishment it would be wise of RBKC to support Lady Borwick and local residents in their call for an independent investigation. There is much to learn from this sordid affair. The Council should have no reason to oppose such an inquiry and Grenfell Tower residents have much to gain and everything to lose if this call for an independent investigation of the TMO is not forthcoming!
Grenfell Action Group 