kensington and chelsea tenant management organisation grenfell kensington and chelsea tenant management organisation grenfell

Artelia replied with three options including that fully cassette-fixed cladding would save 293,368. Camden council said it was conducting additional fire safety checks to reassure residents in its tower blocks. endobj Of course we are worried. << /F9 13 0 R /F10 10 0 R endobj The Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation was established on 1 April 1996, when it assumed management of 9,760 properties from the council. They fear their lives could also be at risk if the cladding is found to be an issue in the Grenfell inferno, which has killed at least 17 people. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Anne Power is Professor of Social Policy and Head of LSE Housing and Communities. It is shocking if, as has been reported, this board then refused to listen to the concerns raised by Grenfell residents, or give them an independent fire safety inspection as they requested. It was not a TMO, because the tenants could not take on the complex task of running the whole of the boroughs near 10,000 unit housing stock. >> Typically, a chain of events leading to the catastrophe is triggered by a breakdown within a structure that fails to address problems as they occur and mitigate risks as they arise. OToole also said the stay put policy directing residents to stay in their flats if there is a fire in another part of the building conflicted with the advice on posters on the walls on each floor directing residents to go to the nearest exit. On 14 June 2017 a large fire engulfed Grenfell Tower, a 24-floor, 120-flat block managed by KCTMO. In an email, the local councillor, Judith Blakeman, said "continuing to give these people so much access to put their views is unhelpful as it gives them greater legitimacy". Fire-resistant zinc cladding approved by residents of Grenfell Tower was replaced in the refurbishment contract with cheaper aluminium panels to save 293,368, according to documents seen by the Guardian. The cause of the 2017 fire was an electrical fault behind a fridge, although the inquiry has not been able to explain it. /F11 12 0 R /F7 9 0 R 7 0 obj >> Each of the organisations that was involved in the management and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower was subject to a specific professional regulatory framework. In April 1996 it had sub-contracted the management of its entire social housing stock to a private entity, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO). /Resources << Following the fire, The Grenfell Tower Inquiry was established to establish the cause and origin of the fire and in a second phase to examine the buildings refurbishment and external cladding, examining key issues related to the responsibility for maintaining the safety of the building and the residents. Like I am a member of an NHS Trust but that gives me (or even a hundred of me) no significant power. OToole, who also lives in Burnham House, said he was reassuring tenants that the building is safe because there was a fire in a 10th-storey flat in a neighbouring block two years ago which was contained. There is no clear mechanism to respond to the urgent needs of the 2000-3000 residents living on Lancaster West estate, under the shadow of Grenfell since the recent suspension of the ALMOs operations there. Edward Daffarn and another resident repeatedly attacked the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) in a blog. Extending limitation periods in the Defective Premises Act 1972: a breach of Article 1 of Protocol No. /Annots [] /MediaBox [0.0 0.0 595.2 857.28] A plausible explanation for the careless attitude towards establishing effective oversight measures is that under the previous arrangements the Kensington and Chelsea Borough council was directly responsible for managing social housing. The lifts are constantly breaking down, said Jose. /F4 19 0 R In December 2017, the TMO board decided that it could no longer guarantee that it could deliver services to a standard that residents should expect and fulfil all its duties contained in its contract with the council (known as the modular management agreement or MMA). Documents show contractors were asked to fit aluminium instead of more fire-resistant zinc, saving 300,000. Kensington and Chelsea TMO has previously received a three-star status from the Audit Commission for its services. There were a handful of tenants on the board as there are in other ALMOs. Governments of all parties have supported the development of TMOs since the 1980s, funding training and introducing the Right to Manage. A blog entry posted on 20 November 2016[13] described KCTMO as "an evil, unprincipled, mini-mafia" and predicted that only a "catastrophic event" leading to "serious loss of life" such as "a serious fire in a tower block" would result in change. To accept cookies, click continue. /Im31 26 0 R It cut capital spend hence the cheaper, less fire-resistant cladding on Grenfell Tower and the cheaper building contractor, the lack of fire sprinklers, and the meagre on-site supervision. Mr Chapman and other members of the leaseholders association repeatedly requested copies of fire safety reports from the National Grid and the fire brigade which KCTMO claimed it possessed. Meanwhile, Camden council has been asked to urgently review cladding on five high-rises in the borough after tenants discovered that the contractor used in the Grenfell Tower block refurbishment was also responsible for renovation of their buildings. Central to this is the doctrine of effectiveness, which requires courts to give the fullest weight and effect to the underlying purpose of protecting human rights. Witness: Kensington and Chelsea Required fields are marked *. /F3 18 0 R (HRA 1998, s 6) It also requires domestic courts to interpret legislation so far as possible in a manner that is compliant with the ECHR, and empowers courts to award damages where Convention rights have been violated. Fire notice in Adair Tower, featuring the stay put policy. The husband and wife, who did not wish to be named, said they had been in their flat when fire broke out last October. The Guardian has also learned that representatives of the KCTMO and the councils planners were shown a mock-up of the cladding system on site in the summer of 2014. /F9 13 0 R /Font << endobj Indeed, AVOIDANCE of tenant involvement. [The KCTMO] responded they sent up surveyors, but nothing was ever done. On that occasion I went out on to my balcony, but there was thick smoke there. Your life is too precious to stay put. /Annots [] Mr Daffarn fought a campaign against the KCTMO which had been set up as an "arm's length" organisation to manage council property on behalf of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. I still suffer from PTSD. /F11 12 0 R /F3 18 0 R Mr Daffarn told a The Labour councillor Robert Atkinson told BBC Radio 4s Today programme the brief session had descended into utter chaos, adding: I am ashamed of the way in which the council proceeded. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Mr Kinnier said that a full review of the property policy arrangements was recommended in the 2013 document. [17] In September 2017 Kensington and Chelsea councillors voted unanimously to end the contract with KCTMO, stating that the firm "no longer has the trust of residents in the borough". Tenant Management Organisations are small, tenant-led organisations that take on a number of landlord functions from local councils. Mr Daffarn disputed being disruptive but accepted he had a difficult relationship with the councillor. >> You have to go up another level on the council to find out what happened. It is important to remember that corporate responsibility encompasses the duties and responsibilities of corporations, but such duties are the responsibility of a variety of social actors and not merely focussed on codes and reporting procedures. A fire had started in a flat on the third floor. Staff managing social housing for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea adopted an us vs This could form an ongoing violation of Article 2 of the ECHR, even in a domestic court of law. >> He was told the work would have no impact on emergency access, but he was not reassured because vehicles continued to take up the emergency bays - he felt, with management approval. He opened his front door last October to find the stairwell full of thick smoke. We use cookies on this site to understand how you use our content, and to give you the best browsing experience. Giving evidence to the inquiry on Monday, Sacha Jevans, of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, said she believed that work would have been done to address the situation by a colleague called Anthony Parkes. He emailed London Fire Brigade (LFB) in March 2014 warning that "if there was a major fire in Grenfell Tower and fire brigade access ever became an issue we would use the evidence recorded on our blog and in extensive email correspondence to ensure that those in charge at the TMO (Tenant Management Organisation) would face extremely serious consequences". [10] In 2016 the chair, Fay Edwards, was awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to the community in Kensington and Chelsea. Grenfell Tower fire: six victims provisionally identified, say police latest updates, High-rise towers are safe but tougher inspections needed, say experts, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. /Font << Concerned residents in the Chalcot Estate in Swiss Cottage asked Camden council on Thursday for a copy of the specifications for the rainfall cladding installed by housing contractor Rydon 11 years ago. No, the correct lesson is twofold: (1) that a board of 8 tenants with 7 professionals will be dominated by the professionals and fail to represent the tenants. They only put on fire doors after the fire in Adair Tower last October. The correct lesson is that user control of governance does not in itself secure user empowerment.. "We believe the TMO must value our lives so little that something so serious can just be covered up and never acknowledged as happening.". The Grenfell Tower fire has become an iconic symbol of the catastrophic events that can occur if there is a failure of corporate governance. In an email to the KCTMO on March 20 2017, Mr Chapman said: Having seen these pipes numerous times, I am seriously concerned about how I will get out of the building alive in the event of a fire with this added risk., He added: At the 22nd floor it is a very long way down from the window in the event that after 30 minutes of fire our house is engulfed., In a second email three days later, Mr Chapman said: The potential risk to life and our common assets is without doubt very high given that this GAS MAIN is installed through our communal fire escape.. The fire was a foreseeable consequence of collective political inaction to regulate health and safety in tower blocks. How are we going to get down if there is a fire? He added that he was worried because the window-sills were plastic and in a fire could produce toxic fumes. Considered one of the worst man-made disasters in post-World War II Britain, the Grenfell Tower fire of June 14th, 2017 is a breach of the right to life, an assault on human dignity and a manifestation of stark inequality in the UK. It is nevertheless understood that fires are statistically calculable occurrences and the extent of the fire that followed the initial source and the difficulty in accessing the building and saving lives can be attributed to failures to properly manage the safety of the building. A tolerance was set for fire performance on the project and both products were within that range, the Guardian understands, but the aluminium panels were considered more combustible. Since January 2018, the housing has been directly managed by the council. The housing department staff were transferred over into the new organisation on existing terms and conditions, and the so-called KCTMO took over all council housing management functions, making it an Arms Length Management Organisation of the Council an ALMO. Police are considering manslaughter charges in relation to the fire. /Rotate 0 Mr Chapman said he feared the fire safety consultant appointed by KCTMO would be tasked with proving residents wrong rather than conducting a proper assessment. They range from around 100 to 1500 rented properties in a single estate or area. The handback consisted of all the services to residents and those support functions required to enable these services to be provided. We possess the insight and flexibility to adjust to a changing real estate market. Another couple, who bought a flat on the ninth floor of Adair Tower, said they saw little in return for the 4,000 service fee they pay to the landlord each year. stream You are quite right Robin a key problem (maybe the key problem) was a lack of tenant involvement. /MediaBox [0.0 0.0 595.2 857.28] Artelia said on Friday none of its roles involved the design of the project, or specification and/or approval of materials. /F10 10 0 R London. >> Setting up KCTMO allowed tenants to take on responsibility for housing management, but the scale of responsibility was immense and contentious. Andrew Kinnier QC, for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, said that a document in 2013 viewed the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), as having a reactive approach to maintenance built more on compliance rather than breakdown. /F10 10 0 R /Annots [] Disabled Grenfell residents 'had no escape route', Government defeated again on fire safety measures, Grenfell residents with safety fears 'bullied', Grenfell Tower: 9 things we now know about the cladding, Grenfell predicted a decade before, memo shows, Woman stabbed to death in street in Brixton, Ant and Dec among celebrities invited to King Charles Coronation as guestlist revealed, Pubs in Highgate that have called last orders over the years, 2023 House of Commons Sitting By Abdul Mateen Riaz, World record crowd provides fitting end to historic Women's Six Nations, London May Day and NHS protests pictures 2023: Guys and St Thomas, Trafalgar Square and Clerkenwell, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Sudan, Explosion derails train in Russian border region. On Monday, the inquiry saw chains of email between Mr Chapman and KCTMO, in which residents were refused an independent fire safety inspection of the building. It declined to discuss the documentation citing a duty of confidentiality in its contract with KCTMO. But Paget-Brown then adjourned the meeting, saying it could not continue with journalists present as this could prejudice the official inquiry, which will be led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, a retired court of appeal judge. /F9 13 0 R The lack of health and safety regulation is therefore a clear a failure on the part of the state to protect the right to life under Article 2 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) 1950. [15] In the aftermath of the disaster, KCTMO has been further criticised for appealing to the public for donations to support the victims, despite giving no indication that it is donating to them itself. In terms of my technical input, I really do not have that technical background so it would not be for me to make comment on a ventilation system (as) I do not have that expertise.. Through austerity cuts, since 2015 financial support for tenant training has gone, and there has been little interest in TMOs. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. These breakdowns relate to a wide variety of governance failure sources, not least due to the tenant management organisations focus on a series of cost reductions rather than more precautionary measures, a lack of engagement or apparent concern with other stakeholder groups, and decision making by the local council likely to be motivated by negative racial and social class stereotypes about tenants. << When conceptualised this way, a corporate governance framework can be perceived as a systematic approach to prevent failings by identifying inherent risks and addressing collective actions to mitigate these risks and foresee negative outcomes or potential threats. It was set up to cover the whole borough and simply took on the existing council housing department and stock. WebKensington and Chelsea TMO ( KCTMO) was the largest tenant management organisation (TMO) in England, managing nearly 10,000 properties on behalf of Read about our approach to external linking. Available at:https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/housing-after-grenfell/blog/2019/11/grenfell-tower-fire-breach-right-life (Accessed [date]). Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? /Parent 2 0 R /Resources << [2] Kensington and Chelsea TMO was the largest TMO in the UK[3] and unique in having been the only TMO that managed the entire housing stock for the local council.[4]. /Xi1 24 0 R The Director of Housing proposed a borough-wide TMO that kept the housing department intact. It did not comment on the Chalcot Estate. Tenants in the Lancaster West estate where Grenfell Tower is located and in other big estates in the Royal Borough wanted more say and better housing services. /Parent 2 0 R /Annots [] /Type /Page And 8 tenants is far too few to deal sensibly with 10,000 properties. They put in new doors after the fire last October, but you can see daylight around the edge. It did not look fireproof, they said. KCTMO is a tenant controlled TMO and the great majority of its board are resident members.. The power lies elsewhere. How to cite this blog post (Harvard style), Nadj, Daniela. Police said they were considering manslaughter charges in relation to the fire as they revealed that the cladding tiles at the building had failed safety tests. The lessons of Grenfell resonate across the entire social housing world. L6 Property Management is a full service, investor-focused property management solution that ensures homeowners the peace of mind that their valuable In total, over 250 fire fighters supported by 70 fire engines fought for over seven hours to control the blaze and helped 223 residents to evacuate from the worst residential blaze experienced in the UK during peacetime for a century. ATIC, a lobby group for tenant control, with support of NFTMO and co-op housing groups, organised a meeting where Lord Falconer, the housing minister, was persuaded by Gordon Perry, the then CEO of KCTMO, to agree a special exception for KCTMO to remain tenant-controlled while gaining ALMO status and the associated capital investment. It added that many of the fire arrangements have been bunched together and by doing so lack the detail in relation to what the planned preventative maintenance process should look like. /Im49 35 0 R /F7 9 0 R At Adair Tower in Kensington and Chelsea, Fabio Freemantle, 33, lives on the 13th and highest floor. The DeKalb Area Rental Association is a nonprofit, educational organization representing rental housing units in DeKalb, Illinois, and its immediate /MediaBox [0.0 0.0 595.2 857.28] Among the 200 TMOs nationally, that particular organisation is a total anomaly not community-based, not cooperatively run, not representative. Lee Chapman said he had repeatedly been refused an independent fire assessment of the building by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) in spring 2017. The ECHR must be interpreted in the light of its object and purpose. Going forward I get the impression that the community will not want the council to take back control as there is a complete lack of trust but the alternative would appear to be being managed by a Housing Association and Im not sure that would gain much traction in the community either. /F6 21 0 R doesnt it just make it harder to find out who is responsible? /F7 9 0 R /Xi10 34 0 R He was a bitter critic of the organisation in the years before the refurbishment of the building and during the work. WebKensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation. Following the tragic fire in June 2017, changes were made which ultimately led to the KCTMO handing back delivery of all day-to-day housing and related support services to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea at the end of February 2018. All queries about housing services should be directed to the Council. The National Federation of TMOs, with several hundred members, is shaken to the core by the fire and its aftermath.