Council leader Georgia Gould said they would spare no expense

THE leaders of Camden Council faced anger and fear tonight as they met with residents of five tower blocks in Swiss Cottage found to be clad in a flammable material similar to that used at Grenfell Tower.

The New Journal revealed this morning that cladding on the council-owned towers along Adelaide Road will be stripped after testing proved that it contained polyethylene – the plastic that is being investigated as one of the factors that allowed flames to tear through Grenfell Tower and claim an estimated 79 lives last week.

The council’s most senior politicians and staff looked to reassure residents at a meeting at Swiss Cottage library this evening (Thursday).

Council leader Georgia Gould detailed the differences between their homes and the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower and said she believed they were still safe.

She added: “As a precaution we are prepared to remove that external layer and to do that as quickly as possible. We won’t be sparing any expense in getting that done and we will do everything in our power to move as quickly as possible.”

Work has already begun to organise the removal of the cladding, but Cllr Gould was unable to say when the panels would be taken down.

She said she was “really shocked and disappointed” to discover the cladding contained flammable plastic and said: “It wasn’t what we commissioned.” The council are seeking legal advice.

Residents repeatedly asked who was responsible for signing-off the work as safe and questioned why more thorough checks had not been carried out before it was installed.

Asked if somebody would be held accountable for the failures, the Town Hall’s housing chief, Cllr Pat Callaghan, said: “There will be a thorough review and believe you me, whoever signed it off, who said that that was safe for all you residents, will walk.”

Temperatures ran high at the meeting, with many residents not placated by the speed at which the council has reacted, instead focusing on the potential risks they still face.

Angela Bennett, who lives in Blashford tower, told them: “Although you are trying to help, I don’t feel reassured because I live on the 17th floor and as they said on the fire on Grenfell Towers, fire engines don’t go up to the 17th floor, everyone at the top of that building died. I know you are trying to reassure us, but I don’t feel reassured, because you are not doing enough to help at the moment. You can walk away to your houses, or wherever you live, we have got to sleep in our beds every night knowing what’s going to happen to us in these flats. You need to do more and you need to do it now.”

Among the ideas mooted was the installation of sprinklers in all five blocks, which received loud applause from the crowd.

Council officers outlined the difficulties and lengthy time scales in installing sprinklers, by Cllr Gould told residents that if they supported sprinklers then “we will look at that with you”.

She pledged to issue each flat with a fire blanket.  Fire wardens will be in place in all of five blocks 24-hours a day, she said.

Not all fears were allayed by the council’s promises, but some had found reassurance. Tracy Farrow, who lives in the Blashford tower, arrived at the meeting having only learnt of the problems with her cladding on TV news earlier that day. By time she left, she said: “They have worked really fast to get this done. I do feel reassured.”

Her neighbour Teresa Ley disagreed. “[The cladding] is still on our building, we are living in a fire hazard and we have got to pay rent to live in a fire hazard. It’s disgusting.”

Closing the meeting, Cllr Gould said: “The community has come together today in the most powerful way and I think we are going to learn from what happened and we’re going to be stronger. We’ve moved quickly and we’re going to keep moving quickly.”