30/06/2017 London News


30/06/2017

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Good evening and welcome to BBC London News,

:00:12.:00:13.

Documents seen by this programme suggest that Camden Council made

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savings of nearly ?1 million by removing fire doors

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from refurbishment plans on some of its tower blocks.

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There's been controversy over the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower,

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and now BBC London can reveal details of similar disagreements

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over how the Chalcots Estate in Camden was refurbished,

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As rows go, this one just turned nasty.

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This is a pretty complicated business.

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What we know for sure is there are four tower blocks

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on the Chalcots Estate which have been evacuated because

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1000 fire doors are missing internally.

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The cladding on the outside isn't fire retardant.

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What we don't know yet is exactly who to blame.

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The council thinks it does, blaming its contractor.

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As the leader explained to this programme a week ago.

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We thought we were working with reputable companies,

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and we thought we had what was specified.

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We feel let down that's not the case.

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The cladding may be coming down, but the rhetoric is being scaled up.

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The contractor Rydon has struck back, writing to Camden Council

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threatening legal action for those specific comments,

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adding the Council itself signed off on the works

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BBC London has seen a document showing the omission of fire doors

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in communal areas during that refurbishment contract

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The allegation is that Camden Council not only knew

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the fire doors were being omitted, but they wanted that

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In response Camden Council released a statement saying...

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We asked an independent fire expert for his view

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His response, subcontracting out this sort of work has

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All the checks and balances we once had, they've gone.

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All the knowledge which was in local authorities,

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which was there to provide good, quality building, and to check

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to ensure buildings were put up and maintained properly,

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Thoughts shared by many of the residents, like Lulu,

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who we met as she collected the last of her family's possessions.

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I don't know where it is going to end.

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This row between council and contractor is of little interest

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It is just the beginning of what will be years

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After the leader of Kensington and Chelsea resigned

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earlier this evening, the Mayor Sadiq Khan has called

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on the current administration of the council to be

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He said the government needs to get a grip and immediately act

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to appoint commissioners to take over the council.

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Tolu Adoeye reports on the events of the last 24 hours.

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That's something we'll look at in due course.

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Due course came sooner than expected.

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Just yesterday afternoon, this was Councillor Paget-Brown

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telling BBC London's political editor it wasn't

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Would you expect to be the leader in six months' time?

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That's not a matter I'm able to discuss now.

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Hours after the interview this happened.

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A council meeting arranged to discuss the fire descending

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The press and the public had been banned, but a judge

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After receiving legal advice, Councillor Paget-Brown

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cut the meeting short, saying there could be no open

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In resigning today, he referenced the fallout from that decision

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as one of the reasons for his departure.

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As council leader I have to accept my share of responsibility

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In particular, my decision to accept legal advice that I should not

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compromise the public enquiry by having an open discussion

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in public yesterday, has itself become a political story.

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And it cannot be right that this should have become the focus

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of attention when so many are dead or still unaccounted for.

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I have therefore decided to step down as leader of the council

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Tonight, the mayor Sadiq Khan has welcomed the resignation.

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He's called on the government to get a grip and immediately act

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to appoint commissioners to take over the running of Kensington

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The mayor said he's written to the Prime Minister Theresa May and he's

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telling her this council is simply not fit for purpose. He wants these

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independent commissioners to come in. They are usually former Chief

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Executive Southwark Council that he believes that's what's needed to get

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the council through this difficult time. He says they should be in

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place until May next year, until local elections take place. We've

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had other resignations. Not just Councillor Paget-Brown. The deputy

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leader has resigned today, the housing chief went today, and last

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week the council's chief executive also went, so this is a council

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without leadership at the moment. It's a council that is really in

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crisis. Robert Atkinson, who is Kensington and Chelsea's Labour

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leader echoed what Sadiq Khan said. He said external help is needed to

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get the council through this time. Thank you for the update.

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Let's find out what the weather is up to with Tomasz Schafernaker.

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The weekend is looking pretty good for most of us, lots of sunshine on

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the way. I want to emphasise the word mostly sunny, because it won't

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be sunny all the time. There is a bit of rain in the forecast, just

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spit sunspots. This is what we have out there right now. A bit of damp

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weather. This is going to last through the night. This is nothing

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too heavy. If you are up very early in the morning, maybe for a walk, a

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walk with the dog, there won't be big puddles. It will be absolutely

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fine and dry. Lots of sunshine on the way on Saturday. This is the

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temperature in Central under, around 24 Celsius. Low 20s just outside

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town, a really nice day on the way on the whole. Another band of rain

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is heading our way for early on Sunday morning. If you're up at that

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time this rain will probably be a bit heavier. Then it should be out

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of the way by midday or 1pm, the sun should be out again. Another decent

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day. A bit fresher on Sunday. The wind will change direction out of

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the north-west. It will be just that bit fresher. I've disappeared, so

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it's time for the Outlook. Temperatures in the 20s Lustig into

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Monday. That day on Sunday looking absolutely fine. By Monday, maybe a

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bit more cloud. Here's Outlook with absolutely fine. By Monday, maybe a

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bit more cloud. Here's Outlook with Darren Bett.

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Hello, dry -- July is almost here but June was one of the warmest and

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wettest on record. This is from the Met Office, it shows areas

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particularly wet, notably in Scotland. This is the first month in

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the last year with significantly

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