Grenfell Tower fire survivors threaten to boycott inquiry
A victims' group says those affected will refuse to take part if the "systemic issues" that led to the blaze are not examined.
Saturday 1 July 2017 19:59, UK
Survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster will boycott the public inquiry into the deadly fire if it is not widespread enough, a campaign group has warned.
Yvette Williams, a coordinator for Justice 4 Grenfell, told Sky News those affected by the tragedy, which claimed at least 80 lives, "want the systemic issues" that led up to the blaze to be examined.
"If we don't get a good terms of reference for the public inquiry and we don't get a wide remit so that those people can take responsibility for what they've done, then we won't participate in it," she said.
"They cannot just look at 14 June, when that building became an inferno. They can't do that.
"They have to look at how they systematically treated those residents leading up to it, the contempt with which they have treated the community here has to be looked at. Otherwise nothing changes."
Concerns have been expressed that the public inquiry announced by Prime Minister Theresa May
The retired judge heading the probe, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has acknowledged this, suggesting the focus of his investigation would likely be limited to what caused the blaze, why it spread and how it could be prevented in future.
Ms Williams was speaking after she revealed a woman called her on Friday claiming she was still having rent for her destroyed flat taken by the council.
"This is the way the leadership of the council has treated residents at this end of the borough for years," she said.
Ms Williams added: "They could be debiting dead people's accounts, we don't know. We don't have that information, they can find that information out quickly."
A Conservative councillor on Kensington and Chelsea Council has said she was "very sorry to hear" about the claim.
Catherine Faulks stressed she was "not saying it's a tiny thing", and acknowledged it would be very upsetting for the person affected.
Meanwhile, residents living in the so-called "finger blocks" have been exempted from paying rent until January 2018 the earliest.
The three buildings, on Barandon Walk, Testerton Walk and Hurstway have been without hot water since the neighbourhood's boiler, and a council spokesmen has assured residents "any rent which has had a direct debit or standing order payment will be refunded".
She insisted the council is providing a "lot of hand-holding" for survivors, including assigning an individual social worker for each family.
Responding to the claim, Ms Faulks told the BBC's Today programme: "I'm very sorry to hear that and I can understand that's very distressing."
Asked why the council had not addressed such an "obvious" issue, she replied: "Oh come on, I'm not saying it's a tiny thing, for them it's a huge thing and it's very upsetting.
"But the council are in the process of trying to house 400 people, they have got people in hotels, they have put a social worker for every single family, who is triaging them into a wraparound service.
"I'm very sorry to hear that that happened but that person, if it's happened, will have a one person connection to go to explain that's happened who will help them sort it out.
"I know you're hearing a lot of noise about 'nothing's happening', but actually on the ground there is a lot of hand-holding going on."
In a statement later, a council spokesman said: "To the best of our knowledge the rent charges for Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk were stopped.
"But if anyone has had money inadvertently taken as part of a direct debit or standing order we will make arrangements to have it immediately refunded."
In her interview Ms Faulks also claimed protesters who stormed Kensington Town Hall calling for justice "weren't the local community" but "people who like doing that sort of thing".
She defended the council's , and described media attempts to report on it by obtaining a High Court order as a "very clever stunt".
Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan after its leader and deputy leader resigned.
This was backed by Ms Williams, but she said the community needed to be consulted on who takes over. "We don't want people imposed on us," she said.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has said "nothing is off the table" in the Government's approach to the council.