Grenfell: Taskforce sent in as Kensington and Chelsea Council powers cut
It comes as police say they have made "87 recoveries" of human remains, but stress the devastation means "that is not 87 people".
Wednesday 5 July 2017 20:40, UK
A specialist taskforce is to be sent in to Kensington and Chelsea Council to take over key services after the Grenfell Tower fire.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has announced that outside experts will be brought in to manage the council's housing, regeneration, community engagement and governance services.
It comes as police said they had made "87 recoveries" of human remains from the tower, but stressed the "catastrophic damage" inside means "that is not 87 people".
There has been heavy criticism of the council's response to the disaster, which left at least 80 people dead.
But the taskforce falls short of demands from London mayor Sadiq Khan for ministers to appoint external commissioners to take over the running of the entire council.
In response, Mr Khan said the taskforce was the "minimum" that could be done, and warned the Government it risks "making the situation worse rather than better".
He said: "The fundamental problem in Kensington and Chelsea now is the total lack of trust from the local community in the council and elected councillors .
"As a result of this breakdown of authority, the council will find it almost impossible to begin giving the community the support and services it desperately needs."
The new team is expected to be phased in as the current Grenfell Tower Response Team is gradually wound down in the immediate aftermath of the blaze.
The new council leader, Elizabeth Campbell, who was elected following the resignation of Nicholas Paget-Brown, has welcomed the news, saying the scale of the disaster "makes it impossible for one organisation to cope on its own".
The Metropolitan Police said some 21 bodies had been formally identified by the coroner and their families informed.
A search by hand has started now that the "last of the visible human remains" have been recovered, according to Commander Stuart Cundy.
He said this will involve investigators, supported by anthropologists, "meticulously" sifting through about 15.5 tonnes of debris on each floor.
Mr Cundy said he does not want there to be any "hidden victims", adding that his team has spoken to at least one person from 106 of the 129 flats in the block.
Three weeks on from the fire, hundreds of residents are still living in emergency accommodation after refusing offers of temporary housing.
The Grenfell Tower Response Team has confirmed that 139 offers have been made - but only 14 have been accepted.
Prime Minister Theresa May promised to offer good quality temporary accommodation to all those displaced within three weeks - a target the Government says has been met.
Housing minister Alok Sharma, who fought back tears as recalled speaking to survivors, has said he expects the number of those accepting temporary accommodation offers to rise.
He said the "pace" the families want to move at has to be respected, and added 200 "good quality properties" will be offered to residents.
It has also been announced by Home Office minister Brandon Lewis that foreign nationals affected will be allowed to stay in the UK for 12 months regardless of their immigration status so they can "deal with the extremely difficult circumstances".
Eleanor Kelly, chief executive of Southwark Council and a spokesperson of the Grenfell Fire Response Team, told Sky News the residents could require support for "decades" to come.
Meanwhile, the retired judge leading the public inquiry into the fire has said he is prepared to listen to a "broad range of evidence, including on the role of the relevant public authorities and contractors".
Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who has faced calls to quit, said he wants to hear from people directly affected about the "questions we should be seeking to answer" as he investigates the tragedy.