The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) admitted she is unable to rule out the possibility of another catastrophic fire in the borough, four months on from the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Elizabeth Campbell said fire safety must be of “very high consideration” in the wake of the blaze that killed at least 80 people in north Kensington.

But the Conservative leader said residents’ safety was not the council’s responsibility while housing remained under control of the Kensington and Chelsea tenant management organisation (TMO), the group in charge of the block that went up in flames in June.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Ms Campbell said fire safety would be the council’s “top priority” if the TMO agreed to make RBKC its sole member.

The council revoked the organisation’s contract in September and had called to be appointed its majority stakeholder, in effect disbanding the company. But survivors fiercely opposed the decision, fearing it would allow the TMO to escape possible criminal charges and civil proceedings.

Police investigating the fire announced there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect both RBKC and the TMO committed corporate manslaughter.

A meeting to decide the group’s fate has been postponed for 21 days but the delay exposes the accountability vacuum facing occupants of the nearly 10,000 properties in the borough managed by the TMO.

How the Grenfell Tower fire happened, explained

“Am I going to tell you hand on heart I don’t think there could be a fire in any of our properties? I couldn’t possibly say that. What we have to do is be sure there are good fire safety regulations in place,” Ms Campbell said. “It’s not for me to be reassured or not reassured, the TMO is responsible for it.”

When asked whether tower-block residents had expressed concerns over fire safety, she added: “Of course, whether they are in tower blocks or not in tower blocks, everyone is sort of looking over their shoulders now like everyone else round the country.”

Former council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown was forced to step down amid accusations the council had ignored a catalogue of warnings before the disaster.

Ms Campbell’s subsequent appointment was mired by negative press after she admitted she had never set foot in a block of flats, days after stepping in to lead the response effort to the deadliest tower block fire in modern history.

Four months on, she hit back at the “ridiculous”, “lazy” media coverage, telling her critics to “judge me by what I’m doing and not by where I live”.

“I was quite inexperienced at the time and I remember thinking, ‘I’ve been in a tower but not up a tower, does that count?’,” she said.

“We have children’s homes in towers, we had a youth group in a tower, so does that mean if I haven’t been to the 21st floor I don’t care? I just think that’s ridiculous. Of course I care. What does it say that I haven’t been to the 21st floor? I don’t know? I’ll ask you? Do you think it matters nowadays?”

She paused, before adding: “It is symbolic, isn’t it? But I think it’s lazy – sorry.”

In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementís Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

Another sticking point surrounded her £1m second home on the Isle of Wight that was originally purchased through a family trust and a company registered to an offshore tax haven.

“Look, I am what I am, I can’t pretend I’m not,” she said. “I reject the fact that people think I’m out of touch – I don’t think I’m out of touch. But on the other hand have I shared that same experience? No I haven’t.”

Ms Campbell, who is a councillor for the affluent Royal Hospital ward covering Sloane Square and the Kings Road, has repeatedly refused to question the council’s conduct prior to her appointment, telling The Independent: “I apologised, I didn’t criticise. I think you will have to wait for the public inquiry.”

But she did strike a conciliatory tone, speaking at length about the ongoing trauma facing survivors and what she hoped to do to help them, while remaining characteristically tight-lipped on how the tragedy had affected her personally.

She accepted the borough faces an uphill challenge to rebuild community trust, but said she hoped her actions would show she is sincere. “I wouldn’t be in this job if I didn’t think it was possible,” she said. “You can’t just say to people, ‘well, it’s been absolutely terrible’ and shrug your shoulders.”

Despite the backlash, she said she was the right person for the job, touting her experience working in family and children’s services “dealing with some of the most disadvantaged families in north Kensington ... on the ground.”

When asked how she handled being confronted with such unimaginable horror, she said: “I met a mother last week who said we don’t want to sleep, because they don’t know what the night will bring. This isn’t about me, it’s about them.”

She said seeing people “in pieces” made her “ever more determined” to help, adding: “It doesn’t help me sleep better or not better at night, that’s my job that’s what I want to do, to get there and improve things.”

But she accepted too many families are still living in hotels.

The current housing allocation system gives priority to certain survivors, including bereaved households or those with disabilities or young children.

But it means at least 92 households have not had the opportunity to bid for housing, despite Theresa May promising all survivors would be rehoused within three weeks of the fire.

Theresa May on fire safety: Sprinklers are not the only issue being looked at since Grenfell

Ms Campbell defended the delay, saying it was crucial that survivors were not rushed, adding: “It’s terribly important, I think, that it’s fair.”

“It’s been absolutely awful and for people who were on the phone to people, it’s beyond imagining. And yet we’re expecting people like that to say ‘yes, I like that flat I’ll move in next week, I’ll have Peter Jones furniture and not something else furniture’,” she said.

“We really, really, really want them to move on and to have their own front door and begin the journey – it’s going to be a long journey for people to recover. But I kind of think, if you move, you get your house and you can start again, can’t you.”

It comes after it was revealed at least 1,000 people in the borough are being treated for mental health issues relating to the fire.