Communities Secretary, , has today announced that he is
putting in place an independent Recovery Taskforce to help the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) deal with the
longer term recovery of the Grenfell Tower fire.
This follows the Government’s commitment to do all that it can to
support those who have been affected by the tragic fire at
Grenfell Tower.
Communities Secretary, said:
“The scale of the recovery effort needed on the Lancaster West
estate in the months to come cannot be underestimated.
Support to survivors, the families and friends of those who lost
their lives and residents in the wider community must and will be
ongoing. The challenge of providing that support is and will
continue to be significant. I want to help the council meet that
challenge.
“The immediate response to the disaster is being coordinated by
the Grenfell Response Team, headed up by John Barradell. He
is ably supported by a number of colleagues drawn from London
Councils, the wider local government sector including the RBKC,
the voluntary sector, Police, Health and Fire services as well as
central government. Their expertise and hard work is making a
huge difference.
“As well as providing that immediate support, we must have an eye
to the future. This intervention is putting in place the
foundations that will support the longer term recovery.”
Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea said:
“We have a lot of very dedicated council staff working to
provide help and support to those affected by the Grenfell Tower
fire.
“But the unprecedented scale of this incident makes it impossible
for one organisation to cope on its own.
“That’s why my first action as leader was to ask DCLG for help,
and I’m delighted they have been so swift to respond.
“I look forward to working with their staff as we all concentrate
our efforts on healing the wounds in the north of our borough and
to regain the trust of a community traumatised by disaster.”
Further information and details of who will be a part of this
taskforce will be announced within the following few weeks.