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Resident groups rally to support survivors of flat fire in east London left facing homelessness
Resident groups protested outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall yesterday in response to the lack of housing provision for survivors of a fatal flat fire in Shadwell.
The demonstration in Tower Hamlets was organised by a number of groups in a show of support for the survivors in the hope the council will take action to rehouse those affected.
On 5 March, the blaze ripped through the overcrowded privately owned flat on Cornwall Street in Shadwell, although 15 people managed to exit the property before firefighters arrived.
One man was rescued from a bedroom by the London Fire Brigade and was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service crews, where he later died.
The fire, which killed father-of-two Mizanur Rahman, has significantly affected the survivors both physically and mentally. The 18 men, all of Bangladeshi origin, were living in cramped conditions in the three-roomed flat, each paying the landlord between £80 and £100 a week.
Since the tragic incident, the survivors have been housed in hotel accommodation provided by Tower Hamlets Council but that provision runs out today (28 April).
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The council maintains that all those affected by the fire were assessed for housing and care needs, and there is ongoing support from NHS and mental health services for those that need it.
But Tarling West Tenants’ and Residents’ Association also highlighted concerns that survivors had struggled to find new accommodation in the area due to rapidly rising rents in the borough.
The survivors have asked the council for support with what they described as unaffordable deposits, extensive references and a requirement for a guarantor.
Resident groups are calling on the council to help secure private accommodation and act as guarantors.
Maddocks House Support Group, which has been supporting the survivors directly, told Inside Housing: “Yesterday we held a demonstration outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall. We had speakers representing the survivors, Tarling West tenants, the London Renters Union, workers unions, Grenfell Next of Kin, and Green councillor Nathalie Bienfait.
“We hope this show of community support for the survivors spurs the council to take action and house the survivors.”
In addition, the group called on the mayor of Tower Hamlets “to stop the political rhetoric and step up and secure the survivors’ private secure accommodation”.
The group added: “Lutfur Rahman, the new mayor, was elected to change this, but now has decided to throw the survivors of the Shadwell fire back into the black market housing sector by making them homeless. The survivors and the community expected better of him.”
Tarling West Tenants’ and Residents’ Association said residents had, for several years, brought the attention of overcrowding in the property to the council.
“Both the fire and the death of Mizanur Rahman were avoidable. The abusive way the flat was used, and the local authority’s negligence in not curbing this abuse, has put our community in danger, and our residents continue to suffer the consequences,” said the group.
“The survivors continue to receive our support and solidarity. We ask that the responsible powers offer them the support, safety and secure accommodation they desperately need.”
The Grenfell Next of Kin group said it stands together with the survivors of the Shadwell fire and “will be paying close attention and supporting our brothers in Tower Hamlets, just as our brothers and sisters in east London came to support us in our hour of need”.
In response, a Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: “We recognise the extremely difficult situation the survivors of the Maddocks House fire have been faced with and have done our utmost to ensure they have been supported and their welfare provided for since the fire took place.
“Since 5 March, we have provided emergency hotel accommodation to 17 survivors, a weekly allowance totalling £1,250 per person, and welfare support and housing advice. Around £100,000 has been spent by the council cumulatively.
“Though the council did not have a legal obligation to offer this continued accommodation and support, we have done so until now under emergency powers to support those affected by the fire.
“We have been in regular contact with the survivors and provided as much notice as possible, so they have time to find their own accommodation ahead of the hotel booking end date.
“We extended the hotel accommodation until Friday 28 April. This followed a dialogue with local community groups who – acting on behalf of survivors with no recourse to public funds – indicated that a five-day extension would provide a feasible window for the remaining survivors to find their own accommodation.
“We have also done what we can to help signpost tenants to find alternative accommodation, and have been assisting five survivors – who are entitled to recourse to public funds – in finding long-term solutions to their accommodation.”
The council pointed out that the issue of recourse to public funds is beyond its control and dependent on a person’s visa status, meaning some people are not able to receive certain benefits.
A criminal investigation into the fire is ongoing.
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