• FOLLOWING the disaster at Grenfell Tower, and the discovery of the potentially dangerous situations in the Chalcots estate tower blocks in the event of fire, I want to express admiration for the actions of the new council leader, Georgia Gould.

Unlike Kensington & Chelsea where the council, most councillors and the leader were notable by their absence, Cllr Gould acted immediately.

Starting in the middle of the night, she led by example, personally knocking on doors and explaining to residents what the emergency was and why it was necessary for them to evacuate and became the identifiable face of Camden’s efforts to do the best it could for its residents.

Not only did she as leader personally work ceaselessly with support from many other Labour councillors to ensure that residents in every flat were spoken to personally but, in a show of genuine concern for the residents and unity in adversity typical of the best Camden has to offer, the leader of the Conservative opposition and councillors from both main parties joined in those efforts and worked equally hard.

And council staff worked day and night, well beyond the formal terms of their job descriptions, to try to ensure the evacuation was conducted smoothly, temporary accommodation found and help provided where it was needed. All of them deserve praise.

We wait to see whether the government, still intent on cutting its funding of local government, will step up and support Camden’s efforts, especially the costs.

On the initial decision to get the cladding tested, Camden was the first local authority to submit samples. As information became available, it was shared with residents and the media. In every area Camden’s efforts contrast dramatically with Kensington & Chelsea.

Many questions remain to be investigated and answered about how this dangerous situation arose.

Cllr Gould herself said at a meeting of the Holborn and St Pancras Labour Party that she now realises the need to bring as many services as possible back in-house and she described the nightmare of trying to unpick the PFI contracts under which the refurbishment and cladding of the tower blocks had taken place. The long-term implications for policy and practice are massive.

BERNARD MILLER
Address supplied