It will not have escaped eagle eyed readers that the Grenfell enquiry has now reached the stage where it is considering submissions from the residents of Grenfell Tower and the Lancaster West Estate as well as from the TMO.
The submissions from the residents should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the TMO's modus operandi - tales of bullying, intimidation, disdain and general apathy and indifference from members of TMO staff, with those residents who dared ask questions or raise issues labelled "difficult" and "troublemakers" and ostracised. Totally unprofessional and uncaring behaviour that demonstrated a total lack of care and respect for residents.
And in some cases far, far worse.
And accounts of what the Council were up to at the time aren't much better. Anyone suggesting the Council were "okay" and simply misled by the TMO should take off their blinkers. The Council knew what was happening and, through inaction if nothing else, was totally and utterly complicit.
It is therefore extremely disappointing that as we approach the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire it is impossible for us to propose with any honesty that the situation has improved and that the life of a resident whose home is now managed by the Council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, is significantly better than it was under the TMO.
Yes, the Council has acted to deal with some of the most obvious failings already identified by the Grenfell enquiry in relation to fire safety - a number of estates have had new front doors and communal fire doors installed and other fire safety works are apparently on the way - but has the attitude of the staff to the residents changed much if at all?
And more importantly: has it changed for the better?
Given what we have seen of staff behaviour over the last two years we find it difficult to believe any claim that it has.
The Council was on its best behaviour in the immediate aftermath of the fire as was, it must be said, the TMO. And when the Council inherited most of the TMO's employees through TUPE that continued to be the case. But that honeymoon period lasted 18 months at best and died a quick death once the Council secured the result it wanted from the government imposed test of opinion. They would clearly go the extra mile to secure a favourable vote from residents (that the Council should continue to manage their homes) but once they had that in hand it was clearly back to business as usual.
There are now so many examples of poor staff behavior that would not be out of place in a submission to the enquiry that it is readily apparent that those former TMO staff still employed by the Council have reverted back to their old ways. And that those recruited since have simply followed their lead and acquired some of their most appalling traits and behaviours.
And that is without mentioning the obvious corruption that
pervades the delivery of so many services, the audits so often promised
by Doug Goldring that were supposed to deal with the countless cases of
improper working practices and inappropriate relations between members
of staff and contractors reported by so many residents having completely
failed to materialise.
And it's certainly without mentioning the despotic and dishonest antics of certain members of staff on the Cremorne Estate, both in relation to the manner in which they deal with residents and the manner in which they have effectively neutered the Residents Association. All done with the knowledge and consent of their superiors: Councillor Kim Taylor-Smith, the Lead Member for Housing, and Doug Golding, the Director of Housing Management.
It is readily apparent that the countless promises from the likes of Councillor Kim Taylor-Smith and Doug Goldring that things would be both radically different and radically better under their leadership were little more than hot air, and had just as much substance.Housing management under the Council, under the direction of Councillor Kim Taylor-Smith and Doug Goldring is equivalent, if not identical, to that under Rock Feilding-Mellen and Robert Black. The cooks may be different but the recipe is exactly the same.
Things have changed very little. We can only hope that the enquiry might yet serve to shed some light on that simple truth and that actual meaningful change could yet follow.
But as usual where the Council are concerned we won't be holding our breath.
