Grenfell survivors should be rehoused more quickly, says local bishop

Most Rev Graham Tomlin urged Christians to pray for an “acceleration” in efforts to rehouse those survivors who are still living in places like hotels.

Speaking with Premier, he said: “Until people find a place they can really call home, it’s going to very difficult for them to really move on from this.”

Bishop Graham said he understood only 60 of the 200 households forced out of the Grenfell Tower have since been allocated long-term housing.

He spoke as relatives of the 71 people who died in the fire were allowed back to the site on Latimer Road in West London for the first time.

Bishop Graham (pictured left below with Richard Chartres) went on to say: “Going back and visiting their former homes and also the place where many of their loved ones died I can imagine being quite an emotional and difficult thing to do but actually quite a good thing to do, to help them help move on from where they are at the moment.”

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry, an independent public inquiry, has been created to examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the Grenfell Tower fire.

Care for Grenfell, a service offering care for anyone affected by the disaster, has been established by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Click here to listen to Premier’s John Pantry and Rosie Wright speaking with the Bishop of Kensington Most Rev Graham Tomlin:

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The Bishop of Kensington says it is taking too long to find permanent accommodation for families displaced by last June’s Grenfell Tower fire.