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Grenfell survivors refuse to meet with Jenrick and accuse him of putting developers first
Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have refused housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s offer of a meeting, saying they are “upset and aggrieved” following his recent actions.
In a letter published over the weekend, the Grenfell United group said that Mr Jenrick’s widely publicised actions in waving through a development in Tower Hamlets for Conservative Party donor Richard Desmond had “soured” their opinion of him.
In Aug we wrote to @RobertJenrick. He wanted to meet. We said no. We won’t be taken for fools. Gov promised change for social housing tenants after #Grenfell. Instead @RobertJenrick’s developer mates are doing well & there’s no action to make tenants lives better. pic.twitter.com/gJ6DJJyjZZ
— Grenfell United (@GrenfellUnited)In Aug we wrote to @RobertJenrick. He wanted to meet. We said no. We won't be taken for fools. Gov promised change for social housing tenants after #Grenfell. Instead @RobertJenrick's developer mates are doing well & there's no action to make tenants lives better. pic.twitter.com/gJ6DJJyjZZ
— Grenfell United (@GrenfellUnited) September 6, 2020
Mr Jenrick faced a storm of criticism for approving the Westferry Printworks scheme a day before new charges would have seen the developer pay £45m to Tower Hamlets, which would have been spent locally on community projects.
Correspondence between Mr Jenrick and Mr Desmond revealed that they had previously sat next to each other at a fundraising dinner, and Mr Desmond had texted Mr Jenrick saying “we don’t want to give Marxists loads of doe [sic] for nothing”.
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Grenfell United’s letter reads: “Many in our community link the tragic and violent events on 14 June 2017 to the disregard and lack of humanity shown to social housing tenants. The well-being of those living in Grenfell Tower was sacrificed for corporate greed.
“Your perceived focus on the interests of property developers over the needs of an impoverished local community has soured our opinion of you. It tells us you have learnt nothing from your previous interactions and conversations with Grenfell United committee members who lost so much on the night of the fire.
“Bereaved families and survivors sat with you and opened their hearts and your actions have thrown this trust back in our faces.”
We told @RobertJenrick ’the primary responsibility of Government [is] to protect the people & your perceived focus on the interests of property developers over the
— Grenfell United (@GrenfellUnited)
needs of an impoverished local community has soured our opinion of you’. pic.twitter.com/loFJZZGexVWe told @RobertJenrick 'the primary responsibility of Government [is] to protect the people & your perceived focus on the interests of property developers over the
— Grenfell United (@GrenfellUnited) September 6, 2020
needs of an impoverished local community has soured our opinion of you'. pic.twitter.com/loFJZZGexV
It is understood that the group is particularly frustrated with the slow pace of introducing promised social housing reforms, which was first outlined by Mr Jenrick’s predecessor Sajid Javid three years ago this month.
A green paper was published in summer 2018, but the white paper that will follow it is still pending and is likely to be published in the autumn.
However, the government pushed ahead with its publication of a separate white paper on planning reforms – creating a sense that the social housing reform was a lower-priority issue.
Grenfell United had raised the progress of the white paper in a letter in August, along with other issues including the implementation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, but received no response.
“We won’t be taken for fools,” the group posted on Twitter. “Gov promised change for social housing tenants after Grenfell. Instead, Robert Jenrick’s developer mates are doing well and there’s no action to make tenants lives better.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “The secretary of state and the department hugely value the relationship with Grenfell United, who have been a vital partner since the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with them as we move forward with key priorities including the Building Safety Bill, Fire Safety Bill and the Social Housing White Paper over the coming months.”
