Thread by @PeteApps

Lunchtime update from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry:

- Residents describe how vital self-closing devices were removed from flat doors by KCTMO staff
- Disabled woman forced to 'bump' her way down stairs to escape fire after no escape plan made

This morning we've heard from two residents: Betty Kasote and Youseff Khalloud, as well as hearing some statements read in.

First, Ms Kasote - a nurse who had lived on the 7th floor of the tower since 1996. Her witness statement is here: assets.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/IWS00001775_Ph…

For the resident witnesses so far, the oral evidence appears to be about picking up specific thematic things and clarifying issues in the witness statement. Makes these documents a bit more important for following the narrative than was the case for the corporates.

Ms Kasote was one of a few residents who had their fire door self-closer disconnected by a TMO handyman before the fire (her statement below).

We know from Phase One that this happened to several others. A TMO caretaker (now deceased) admitted to removing around 10.

Asked if anyone told her about the importance of these mechanisms, or if a risk assessor checked the door she said no.

Ms Kasote also asked about TMO witness alleging that meetings were taken over by "disruptive" residents. She says this is not what she recalls.

Her witness statement referred to leaks experienced in the 2000s. She reported these to an office at the bottom of the tower - they were promptly dealt with and a dehumidifier provided to dry the flat. But in 2016 TMO had taken away this office and provided a central number.

When two serious leaks occurred and damaged her flat, she struggled to get TMO to deal with it and described them as "very abrupt and short with me... like [they] were angry with me that I was making a complaint." TMO workmen then removed damaged floor in her bathroom...

... but broke her toilet in the process. Her rug also went missing and when she phoned to ask where it had gone they responded angrily. She was told someone would check for asbestos, but they never did. She links the decline in service to the removal of the local office:

We then heard extracts from the witness statements of Mariko Toyoshima-Lewis and Mahboubeh Jamalvatan. Both were women with disabilities who were housed in the new lower flats on floor 3 after the refurbishment, which were supposed to be adapted for disability.

Ms Toyoshima-Lewis explained that she could not leave the building on the regular occasions that the lifts broke. This meant she could not take her children to school. No evacuation plan was provided. On the night of the fire, she was carried out by firefighters.

She described asking how she would escape in a fire and being told she should stay in the building:

Ms Jamalvatan also spoke of problems when the lifts broke down - and notes that her complaints were not recorded in internal RBKC/TMO documentation. She had to 'bump' down the stairs on the night of the fire as she was unable to walk down them.

Remember, govt sought to quietly water down the implementation of the inquiry's recommendation that disabled people should get evacuation plans after industry lobbying. It took a legal challenge from bereaved to reopen consultation: insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/gove…

Next, Youseff Khalloud - who lived on the 11th floor. He too describes having his self-closer removed. Says it was done by a TMO workman, never checked and he was never made aware of the importance of self-closers.

Then asked about refurbishment. Says he was not aware of many of the efforts TMO say they made to consult residents such as drop in sessions. Says residents had their own meetings once or twice a month. He was particularly unhappy about plan to put heating units in corridors

Says they were ignored until the local MP intervened and brokered a meeting - but then TMO was willing to move the location of 'boiler' to kitchen. Says TMO was forced to do this because residents were refusing access and should have listened before.

There will be some further statements read into the record shortly and two more live witnesses this afternoon. Will have a report at the end of the day.