Four in five Grenfell families stuck in hotels and emergency accommodation over Christmas
FOUR out of five families made homeless in the Grenfell Tower tragedy are facing Christmas without a proper home.
Almost six months on from the deadly blaze, in which 71 died and hundreds were made homeless, 103 households from the block remain in hotel rooms.
A further 11 are in serviced apartments and four are staying with loved ones, meaning 118 remain in emergency accommodation.
The local authority was accused of making "one broken promise after another", having previously expressed confidence every survivor would be offered a new home by Christmas.
And at a meeting last night Council leader Elizabeth Campbell pledged that all survivors of the tragedy would have new homes by June.
She said: "All of us sympathise with those who are still living in hotels with their children, especially at Christmas.
"I have always said we can only move at the pace at which victims and survivors feel comfortable: no-one should be rushed into making such an important decision about where they are going to live.
"However, I do accept, as we have heard tonight and last night at scrutiny, for some the pace is painfully slow."
Survivors have expressed frustration at how regularly the rehousing deadline has shifted, stretching back to the immediate aftermath of the June 14 inferno.
Days after the fire Theresa May initially appeared to pledge that everyone left destitute would be in temporary new homes within three weeks.
So far only 42 families have moved into permanent addresses, meaning the remaining 166, including 48 temporary places, could spend the festive period without a new home, survivors say.
Currently 29 of the families still in hotels have children, meaning many youngsters will likely wake up in hotel rooms on Christmas morning.
There were 209 families in need of rehousing following the disaster, according to updated council figures released on Wednesday.
Shahin Sadafi, chairman of Grenfell United, an elected body set up by survivors and bereaved relatives, said: "First it was three weeks, then six months now they are saying a year.
"For the survivors and affected families, it seems like one broken promise after another.
"At this rate it could take the council almost two years to re-home people.
"We are talking about people who have been through the traumatic events and have lost so much, stuck in hotel rooms and make-do accommodation.
"No one can even start to rebuild their lives until they are in a place they can call home.
"It's been six months and we're now just a fortnight away from Christmas. It's not too late to put this right but it needs urgent action now."
The Grenfell Tower estate is to have £30 million invested in it after a cash injection from central Government was matched by the council.
Explaining the delay, Council Leader Campbell added: “I have always said we can only move at the pace at which victims and survivors feel comfortable. However, I do accept for some the pace is too slow.
“There are many reasons for this, as everyone here knows it takes time to buy a house, to exchange, to complete, to paint, to furnish. It also takes time to buy a range of homes that will suit each individual's and families' differing needs.
“This is why we have also made offers of temporary, privately rented homes to those still in hotels. But in the coming months, I expect many more households will move into their new homes."
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