Grenfell Council Officers Accused Of ‘Racism Or Snobbery – Take Your Pick’

In an extraordinary address to the Commons, MP for Kensington & Chelsea Emma Dent Coad has accused officers of Kensington and Chelsea Council of “racism or snobbery – take your pick” during a debate on the response to the Grenfell disaster. The House heard Dent Coad pledge to continue exposing the council’s “duplicity and blatant lies, incompetence and cover-ups.” She catalogued examples of a “feudal” attitude officers – some senior –  took towards residents of Grenfell and its surrounds, including:

·         “It’s like Little Africa down there” and “it’s full of people from the Tropics”

·         References to residents as “Muzzies”

·         Warnings of Kensington and Chelsea becoming an “Islamic Caliphate”

·         Money spent on mental health dismissed by “they all look fine to me”

Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/grenfell-council-officers-accused-of-racism-or-snobbery-take-your-pick/

Councils Accused Of Hiding Scale Of Homelessness Crisis

Councils have been accused of deliberately hiding the scale of the rough sleeping crisis in England by changing the way they compiled figures for the 2018 official count. Official government statistics reported a 2% fall in rough sleeping in England in 2018 after seven consecutive years of rises when the figures were released last month. But critics have suggested the percentage decreased after several councils changed their counting method and does not reflect the reality on the streets. The government has described the claims as “an insult” to the volunteers and charities who help compile the official figures. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/25/english-councils-accused-of-hiding-scale-of-homelessness-crisis