Tragic fire in Daleham Gardens

• I HAVE been contacted by a resident moved to a flat in Hampstead Town ward who was a victim of the November fire at Daleham Gardens NW3 (Frognal and Fitzjohns ward) in which one person tragically lost their life.

The resident has expressed her concern to me about the absence of communication from Camden Council and the cloak of secrecy surrounding this event.

The residents of Daleham Gardens, once a tight-knit community, are now spread – who knows where – and have not been provided with the contact details for one another.

They have lost everything, but part of the building appears intact yet they have not been told whether anything might be retrieved. The resident noted that the building had been neglected by the council for years.

There is the unanswered question why did the fire alarm not go off? Of course, there are a large number of street properties owned by the council and no one knows what conditions are like at these properties.

Notwithstanding the trauma which the resident (72 years old) has experienced and the continued lack of support and isolation, she has received a ground rent demand in respect of the burnt-out property along with a note of outstanding service charge.

Why is the council compounding the suffering of victims and showing gross insensitivity by sending out ground rent demands and by failing to communicate with residents in a supportive way?

I raised this at Camden’s full council meeting this week, so hopefully some attention will be paid to the treatment of the victims of the Daleham Gardens fire and the issuing of ground rent demands reconsidered.

CLLR STEPHEN STARK
Conservative, Hampstead Town ward