All animals are equal but some animals are STILL more equal than others down on the TCC “Animal Farm”

Down on the farm with Anne, Kim, Iago & Doug

Back  in December 2017  we posted about the TCC (Tenants Consultative Committee) here:  

https://thisisnorthkensington.wordpress.com/2017/12/03/rbkc-and-tmo-all-animals-are-equal-but-some-animals-are-more-equal-than-others/

The result of  the visit to the meeting from us and a few others who had been left out was that the TCC “Homes” group for residents  without RAs was set up .


Much more recently RBKC have been consulting  resident members of the TCC  over proposed changes to tenancy agreements –  but they have ONLY consulted with members of the TCC RA group  (others might as well not exist as far as this council is concerned)  A representative of the TCC Homes Group Bruno has told us that he wasn’t even notified of meetings.

RBKC resident engagement officer Iago Griffith, has claimed that this was because of a “spreadsheet mistake” – ludicrous.

So for ALL residents in RBKC council homes, here are the proposed changes to tenancy agreements  (that most residents  were not consulted about )

















Noted is the absence of  any conditions upon housing staff to keep full case records  – which  we have previously  reported  that  some are failing to do::

https://thisisnorthkensington.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/the-rbkc-tmo-bermuda-triangle-of-missing-case-files-and-housing-records/





We also note  from this , below, that they aren’t consulting residents  (well, the few residents they bother to consult with anyway)  about increases to rents and service charges:

Links here:
– Windows and double glazing 25-9-20 now 15-10-20

– Service for drainage & pipes, gully cleaning  16-10-20

– Resident Involvement Sttategy 19-10-20 now 9-12-20

– Scaffolding/Mobile towers 20-11-20

– Heat & smoke detectors 2nd decision 11-11-20

– Sustainability & fuel poverty 11-11-20

– CCTV 11-11-20 Compatibility?

– Tenancy agreements variation 8-12-20

But if members of the TCC Homes   group may be feeling like second class citizens, there are others who are  left even further down what our council appears to think is  some sort of a “pecking order”, and those are the residents who  unaware that the TCC even exists.


Some might say that the TCC Homes Group is very small, but there is a reason for this:
We did ask before as to why RBKC has not invited any other residents to join but we got no answer from them. The simple answers are firstly because Iago (who seems to only ever communicate with a small handful of people in RAs anyway) cannot be bothered, RBKC seem  to have taken have taken the rather arrogant assumption that people who haven’t sought out the council  do not want to get involved , and lastly  that they would rather not really give the oppotunity to most residents to put their points and suggestions across anyway.


Because otherwise why have they have still failed to include all residents fairly ? There are no other answers.  Well we’re sadly not exactly unfamilar with   RBKC not wanting residents to have their say….

THINK  could send something out to all the addresses  but then we would  likely be in breach of the Data Protection Act if we did  – so we can’t.
But  we ‘re going to  try to live up to our acronym and here instead are  
a  couple of  blocks of  council flats in Notting Dale Ward around the corner from Grenfell, that do not appear to be  included :

Foreland House, Walmer Road

Allom House & Barlow House- Clarendon Road & Walmer Road

If residents  aren’t interested,  fine – but they should be aware that the TCC exists and be invited and have that choice of whether to get involved or not in the first place.

So for failing to  include, consult  and engage with all residents properly, for causing divisions and tension  between residents  and for telling porky pies to Bruno by way of some excuse for not inviting him to meetings, THINK  proudly present Iago Griffith with a very richly deserved Piglet-Pie Award:

Setiously? A resident engagement officer who can’t or won’t engage with residents properly?

But there have been  other matters going on at the TCC too…..

At the last  TCC RA meeting, a residents’ survey from Grenfell United about satisfaction (or not)  with council housing  services  was presented by Kim Taylor-Smith and   Doug Goldring.

Some RAs have expressed concerns about this and as to why Grenfell United, who have no mandate to provide council services are undertaking tbis, why this was presented by RBKC  And believe that  is a matter to be needs to be scrutinised   by the Housing and Communities Committee.



Also , we have to point out  the Grenfell United survey was just for RAs. It does have to be asked why  the views of ALL residents  in RBKC social housing do not  matter according to some?

Look, we are friends and supporters of Grenfell United but we have to say that we are very disappointed and sad about this, especially considering that some were excluded from council processes regarding housing  in times past but  now happening to be, even if not deliberately so , in the act of excluding others.

We also agree with the RAs  that this is a matter for scrutiny if the council are presenting it, and our housing services – that many of us especially in the north of the borough are less than satisfied with (it’s like the TMO are still here)  – need to be subject to further council scrutiny.


We accept that the immediate  thoughts of Grenfell United may be obviously  elsewhere with the Inquiry (have a look at today’s shocking revelations here:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/19/grenfell-tower-project-manager-admits-binning-notebooks )

So we will therefore not be pointing fingers at them for this.
It is RBKC who we feel very angry with –  the whole thing;  exclusion of residents from processes and meetings, the dishonesty, and causing divisions in our community – it is they who are ultimately to blame.

We also call for Iago Griffith to resign  He might want to leave anyway, because after reading this, there will be more than just  a few residents ready to make mincemeat – or indeed pork pies – out of him.

We also have to say that Doug Goldring knew ages ago that a number of residents without RAs were dissatisfied because of being  excluded – but he is likely  preoccupied  with other housing issues –  he is at least doing other  things (yes we will post further  soon)  which is why he  not getting an award this time – and let’s hope it’s not because he doesn’t care.


Please RBKC , stop paying for  resident engagement suits who fail to engage with residents, and please lets ensure our  housing services  and staff are subject to proper full and fair  scrutiny.

There is supposed to be a TCC Homes online meeting this Thursday  evening but we will not bother if it is only there to exist as a mere  talking shop. This council has insulted the intelligence of both some of us and the other residents in that group if they ever  thought we would accept this.

Sometimes whenever we feel RBKC is making progress on housing,   there is usually another matter of concern or failure that casts a bad shadow over it all  and it  feels like one step forward and two steps back.