Grenfell Tower: Kensington and Chelsea councillors emailed to ask who was 'in charge' after tragedy

In the correspondence the then leader of the local authority complained about a ‘complete media s***storm’

The Tory leader of the council carried out media interviews after the blaze, including one in which he blamed residents for a lack of sprinklers (Reuters)

Internal emails revealing the chaotic response to the Grenfell Tower fire at Kensington and Chelsea council have been released under freedom of information laws.

In the correspondence, the then leader of the council, Nicholas Paget-Brown, lamented a “complete media s***storm” and complained about press “distortion” of the council’s actions.

The emails show that councillors were told communication with survivors was failing in the wake of the inferno.

One email was titled: “Who is in charge?”

Mr Paget-Brown resigned a month after the deadly blaze, but before he before he left he complained there was “extreme media misrepresentation” of the council’s response.

In emails to his colleagues, the embattled leader said the council should “develop some lines” to feed to the press and seek public relations advice, according to Channel 4 News, which obtained the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Conservative leader of the council carried out a series of media interviews in the aftermath of the blaze, including one in which he blamed Grenfell Tower residents for the lack of sprinklers in the high rise.

Mr Paget-Brown explained his decision to give interviews to news programmes, saying: “I felt that the borough’s reputation had been so sufficiently trashed that I could do little further harm.”

But it emerged he had dissuaded colleague from answering questions posed by Channel 4 journalist Jon Snow, after an interview with him.

“My advice would be not to attend. They will want answers that we cannot provide and which are properly a matter for the public enquiry,” an email said. “Jon Snow made the awful comment about social cleansing and said to me on air that now the tower has gone will we be building housing for rich people?”

One email, sent between councillors, was titled: “Who is in charge?” In the correspondence, Mr Paget-Brown went on to say the council “would not be able to handle the scale of this tragedy alone”.

In an email sent later, he said: “Government getting panicky as housing policy is conflicted.”

Representing Kensington and Chelsea’s opening statement to the inquiry into the fire earlier this week, James Maxwell-Scott QC defended the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, which experts have said contributed to the spread of flames on the night of the blaze.

He outlined how the council considered the refurbishment proposals on three separate occasions over two years, increasing the budget from £6m to £10.3m.

“Those are not the decisions of a council determined to build on the cheap,” he said, adding that the refurbishment had “the potential to unite those of different political persuasions rather than divide them”.