• PEOPLE across London have been devastated to hear of the horrific Grenfell fire in Kensington.

I’m sure that we are all thinking every day of the hundreds of people whose lives have been changed for ever by this tragedy.

Over the past few days we have been contacted by many residents who are deeply impacted by what has happened to these people, but who also want to be reassured that the buildings in Camden are all safe.

Camden has 13 high-rise buildings across the borough. The council has previously carried out refurbishments, which included putting cladding onto some of our tower blocks.

We know that in Belsize our dedicated tenants’ and residents’ associations on the Chalcots Estate have done an enormous amount to reassure residents and to share information.

And we have been out, too, knocking on doors and speaking to people about their concerns and making sure that council staff answer their questions.

Working alongside the TRAs, we have pressed Camden for a thorough review of fire safety and inspections of fire safety equipment. These are vital as residents have told us that fire extinguishers are regularly being stolen.

We have also pressed for detailed inspections of the cladding and the insulation and have insisted that an annual meeting of Partners for Improvement in Camden stakeholders is brought forward, so that all questions can be addressed.

Camden has now assured us that the cladding and insulation used on our buildings does differ from that at Grenfell. And the cladding is attached to the building in a different way.

We should know more once officers have met Rydons, the contractor, and inspected the cladding on site.

We will continue to work with our amazing Chalcots’ TRAs to share information with residents and to make sure that Camden’s staff respond to the concerns in our community.

CLLRS CLAIRE-LOUISE LEYLAND
LEILA ROY & JONNY BUCKNELL
Conservative, Belsize ward