Tenant management organisation hands back housing to Kensington & Chelsea

The Board of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) last month unanimously agreed to hand back management of housing to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the latest move in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

In a letter to residents, RBKC Deputy Leader Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith and Director of Housing Management Doug Goldring stressed that while the KCTMO would no longer be involved in managing residents’ homes, it would continue to exist as a legal entity.

This was “so that leaders can be called to the public inquiry and held to account in any criminal or civil legal proceedings that may take place in the future”. It was not a way for the KCTMO to avoid accountability, the authors said.

The letter said the move meant that the council would be taking over repairs, looking after estates and running day to day services.

“We want to be very clear, this is only an interim measure – the Council is not taking over for good. The Council will run services and improve services while you, the residents, decide how you want your homes managed in the future. We know this is the most important aspect for you – and we want to work with communities to begin a true and meaningful consultation with you,” Cllr Taylor-Smith and Mr Goldring said.

“At the same time, we are already making progress on an urgent and thorough review of all the KCTMO's operations including health and safety, finance, repairs and estate management services. We have been prioritising this since the new leadership of the council took over, and we believe it is essential following the tragedy of the Grenfell fire. We will continue to share the results of this as we find them and make improvements and changes wherever needed.”