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Your support makes all the difference.Sean O’Grady’s assessment of Kensington and Chelsea Council (The government’s £200m fund to tackle Grenfell-style cladding is two years too late) is way wide of the mark.
His view seems to be that we should be rushing families into homes because the anniversary is approaching. The government first, and then this council, made early promises on the rehousing process, and we have taken away one valuable lesson. Don’t do it, it is not our promise to make.
He says I will give platitudes and wear green, but I will not be giving platitudes and only wear green if the families ask me to.
My councillors and staff have been working hard every day to make the properties we bought for bereaved, survivors and their families into a place they can call home, working with them to do so in incredibly complex circumstances.
This hasn’t been simple – it was never going to be. We had experienced housing officers making this clear to people over 18 months ago.
We are nearly there, but we will not be rushing the last few families to meet artificial deadlines.
The Council spent over £200m to secure over 300 homes, so that people have maximum choice available. But rehousing families in these circumstances is far more than just providing bricks and mortar.
Council staff have never stopped caring and never stopped working, and this will continue to be the case when every family is in their new home and starting to rebuild their lives, and we believe our NHS colleagues will be crucial in this long term effort.
Mr O’Grady, write about the tragedy the way you want to. Criticise our efforts, and our mistakes when we make them. But do not accuse us of only caring one day a year.
Elizabeth Campbell
Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council
Plastics aren’t the problem
Although I thoroughly agree with Sir David Attenborough’s views on the disgraceful dumping of plastic items into our seas, I don’t think “plastics” are the problem. The problem is the disposal of plastic waste, not plastics themselves.
Plastics are used in computers, garden furniture, TVs, all modes of transport and many other day to day items.
The problem is that we do not deal with plastic waste efficiently, or effectively. We only recycle around 45 per cent of plastic waste in the UK and, in addition, thousands of tonnes of unfiltered plastic microfibres end up in our river and seas every year.
If 100 per cent of plastic waste was dealt with in a sustainable manner, there would be no problem. Again, the resolution to the problem and the will to achieve it seem to be poles apart.
John Laker
Marlow
Stop Farage before it’s too late
God forbid that the disgusting overbearing Nigel Farage and his single issue Brexit Party ever gets any influence in parliament given his worrying close friendship with Donald Trump.
If Farage ever got any control of policy, I’d be tremendously worried. Worried for our NHS, the potential rise of foxhunting (given his support for it) and even more dangerous implications for ethnic minorities considering Farage’s track record.
David Flynn
Southport
Farage, defender of democracy
If you vote Tory again this is what you get: a different face in 10 Downing Street as PM, but the same old framework hierarchy remains behind the scenes, set in its old Remainer ways that have existed for years.
Theresa May, Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Ken Clark – none stood by the people’s vote at any point. All are ruthless Remainers.
They are so used to doing as they like, they think they don’t have to listen to the public any more. If Nigel Farage had not stood up for us, May would’ve been prepared to walk all over the public’s referendum vote, and squash it into the ground.
In witnessing the disgusting behaviour of John Bercow, Yvette Cooper/Nick Boles amendments and Dominic Grieves in parliament, our hearts cried out: “What is happening to our beautiful country?” while the rest of the world laughed.
Look beyond the Tories; come over to Farage’s Brexit Party. We do not have to take the Tory Remainer rubbish any more.
Sandra Haywood
Nottingham
May’s Plan B is no plan at all
Are these people in the business of running the country, or are the planned indicative votes a part of some elaborate afternoon tea party?
Why on earth would you want to impose a voting system that eliminates options when it comes to deciding what’s best for the country?
Why not have an afternoon clay pigeon shooting, and the option written on the most intact clay at the end of the day could be what’s best for the country from now on!?
It’s Blackadder without the humour!
I wonder what our trading partners in the EU will think by the time the EU press have put a spin on it?
A series of knock-out votes would only tell us what’s more popular with MP’s – not what’s best for the country.
Is there a secret plan to embarrass us all so much that we dare not show our faces in Europe ever again? Enter, the real Plan B.
Michael Cunliffe
Ilkley
Negative comments
I occasionally dip into your newspaper online. The comments are by far the most bigoted and rude of all the newspapers, without exception. If they represent your readership, then you have an awful lot of very unattractive people who read your newspaper.
Nicholas Broad
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