At least one former resident of Grenfell Tower is still having rent taken out of their bank account for the burnt-out property in north Kensington, according to a campaign director representing survivors.
Yvette Williams, coordinator of Justice4Grenfell, said a resident had recently obtained a new bank card and other documents following the blaze, only to find that rent instalments had been deducted.
Tory councillor Catherine Faulks called the erroneous rent deduction a "tiny thing", before quickly tracking back on her words and insisting that Kensington and Chelsea Council had provided affected residents with social workers to deal with such matters.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Williams said: "I had someone come to me yesterday saying they'd just got their bank card and things back, and seen that their rent has been deducted."
During an interview just moments later, Ms Faulkes, when asked about the rent payments, said she was "very sorry to hear that" and could "understand its very distressing".
When then asked why the council had allowed it to happen she responded: “Oh come on, that’s a tiny thing — I mean it’s not a tiny thing for them it’s a huge thing and it’s very upsetting.
"But the council are in the process of trying to house 400 people. They’ve got people in hotels, they’ve got a social worker for every single family who is triaging them into a wraparound service.
"I’m very sorry to hear that’s happened, but that person to whom that has happened will have one person connection they can go to to sort it out."
She continued: “I know you’re hearing a lot of noise about nothing happening but actually, on the ground there is a lot of hand-holding going on and I haven’t heard anyone in the media speak to someone who is receiving that help.”
It comes after the Tory leader of Kensington and Chelsea council, Nick Paget-Brown, resigned in the wake of the fire, saying he accepted a “share of responsibility” for the “perceived failings”.
Two other senior officials involved in the Grenfell tragedy earlier said they were standing down, following criticism of the council’s response to the disaster, which officials say claimed the lives of at least 80 people.
