• CHALCOTS residents will be relieved that the first phase of the report into circumstances surrounding the decision to evacuate the blocks and its aftermath has finally been published, (Chalcots evacuation: Independent review slammed for ‘shifting blame from Camden Council to fire brigade’, June 28).

However, this was a missed opportunity to consider the historic failures that led to the evacuation being deemed necessary in the first place.

It is unfortunate for residents, who rightly wanted a full and proper inquiry, that the senior London Fire Brigade officer who expressed concern about the safety of the blocks and considered an evacuation mandatory was unavailable to contribute to the report (having since retired).

A key individual’s account is therefore missing about why and how the decision to conduct an emergency evacuation was taken. Nevertheless the report carries a useful lesson.

Camden Council’s leadership failed to communicate to residents that the evacuation was voluntary, and why it had reached that decision (even if the LFB was otherwise planning to enforce an evacuation).

The council should therefore continue to look at ways to improve how it communicates with residents, and seek to mitigate the impact on Chalcots residents of further planned works as much as possible.

CLLR LUISA PORRITT
Liberal Democrat, Belsize ward