Council tried to ‘instil fear’ about Grenfell survivors and branded them ‘hostile and embittered’, inquiry hears

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has been accused of attempting to spread fear about Grenfell survivors in the aftermath of the fire, an inquiry heard on Monday.

The council branded some residents of the tower "hostile and embittered", and failed to provide adequate support those who managed to escape the deadly blaze, according to lawyers representing survivors and the bereaved.

The evidence came as the Grenfell Tower Inquiry examined multiple serious failures to support survivors of the disaster, which killed 72 people on 14 June 2017.

Lawyers argued that RBKC tried to "frame Grenfell residents as a problem".

Danny Friedman QC, acting on behalf of the bereaved and survivors of the fire, outlined correspondence in which RBKC said there was "great concern over community tension" and residents who were "very vocal in negative comments towards the incident."

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RBKC stated there were "several embittered residents painting the situation in a very poor light" who they feared would "incite a mob."

Further examples revealed by Friedman included claims from RBKC that "several people [residents] could make this worse than it is", and that RBKC were "worried that they may might need assistance from the police".

The council claimed some people were fabricating "stories" by stoking "hurt and anger" in order to "further their aims".

Friedman added there were examples of “people treating them [survivors and bereaved] with bureaucratic distance, or requiring them to relive their trauma, or trying to take from them, or ignoring them, or telling them facts they knew to be untrue or contradicted”.

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Elsewhere in the evidence session, the council was also accused of being "chaotic and disorganised" in the aftermath of the fire, worsening the trauma for victims.

Imran Khan QC, also acting on behalf of survivors, claimed the disaster would have been “very different indeed” if it had not happened in social housing.

“The survivors of a tragedy in one of the richest boroughs in the country should not have had to endure the hardship and indignity that we have described very briefly," Khan told the inquiry.

"They should not have had to fight for support in the way that they were forced to do so.

"RBKC’s and others’ response in the initial aftermath of the fire was chaotic, and disorganised to say the least."

Khan went on to say that the situation was "severely damaging" to the lives of the victims of the fire.

"Not only that, the response did not respect our clients, it did not treat our clients with the dignity that they deserved," he said.

“And it does feel like it’s a broken record, but we have repeatedly said: Had the tragedy not occurred in social housing, the response, we say, would have undoubtedly been very, very different indeed.”

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Professor Leslie Thomas QC, representing other bereaved and survivors, described the “stunning insensitivity” of a disabled couple being offered accommodation on the 10th floor of a hotel, saying it also demonstrated a “complete lack of understanding by those tasked with providing care and support for these devastated people”.

Another tower resident, whose father died in the fire, recalled being locked out of temporary accommodation in hotel rooms “many times, because the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea had forgotten to renew the bookings”.

RBKC issued an apology on Monday for the "mistakes the council made".

The statement read: "The immediate aftermath was an exceptionally difficult time for the bereaved, survivors and residents.

"It was made worse by the fact that the council-led recovery phase was not as organised or as effective as it could and should have been.

"The council is deeply sorry that it did not do more to help the bereaved, survivors and residents when they most needed help."

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