Grenfell survivors fear disbanding TMO will let officials escape blame

Plans to formally disband the Kensington and Chelsea tenant management organisation (KCTMO), the body responsible for Grenfell Tower, are being fought by survivors of the fire who fear that the move will allow officials to escape blame and scrutiny for their part in the disaster.

The proposal was first discussed in August by acting chief executive of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), Barry Quirk.

But Grenfell survivors and other residents were alarmed when they received a letter from the tenant management organisation urging them to vote for it to be disbanded at its AGM on Tuesday 17 October.

Residents say that while they ultimately want the TMO to be dismantled, this must not happen before it has been scrutinised at the public inquiry.

They fear that if there is agreement on Tuesday to disband it, officials could avoid corporate manslaughter charges, being sued in civil litigation for omissions and failures before the fire, and the residents may be unable to liaise with the inquiry regarding witnesses or evidence.

Scotland Yard has said there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect the TMO and the council committed corporate manslaughter over the fire.

An urgent legal letter was sent to RBKC and the TMO by residents’ legal representatives on 13 October calling for any moves to disband the TMO to be postponed until more information is available. It also said this issue should not be voted on at Tuesday’s AGM.

The letter stated: “On the basis of the currently available information, there are very serious concerns among all those affected, including our clients and the wider community, about both the procedure that has been adopted in relation to this AGM and what actions RBKC might take if it was to become the sole member of the TMO.

“Crucially, all of these matters could prevent or undermine the TMO being held accountable in relation to the fire and prevent or undermine the search for the truth through all available legal avenues.”

One resident, Gordon Futter, said that while he had grave concerns about the TMO’s safety record and ability to look after residents, the TMO should remain in place for the duration of the public inquiry.

“I feel that the letters all the residents have received from the TMO urging us to vote to disband the organisation is like asking us to commit an act of self-harm. I’m going to propose a motion that this resolution should be postponed.

“I believe that the TMO is blatantly uninterested in residents but we need to keep them around to ensure that they are held to account. At a time when we are still burying our dead from the fire, this move is just so callous and so wrong.”

Another resident said: “The resolutions they want us to vote for to disband the TMO are poorly explained and there is no detail as to what will replace it. All we have from the council is their verbal assurance that they will ‘consult with residents’ but you can understand why we are sceptical about this.

“There’s no trust, so it’s hard. I think residents are in a real bind, on top of everything else.”

The letter from the TMO states: “It is with a heavy heart that we have come to this decision. But the council and the government have made it clear to us that there’s no role for us following the tragedy.”

It adds: “I hope you will agree that this is the only way forward given the tragic events.”

TMO officials insist that disbanding the TMO would not damage the inquiry and would not prevent TMO members from answering questions.

The Grenfell Action Group has launched a campaign to prevent the TMO from being disbanded titled Save The TMO.