Catherine Faulks says legal bid over secret meeting was to give ‘impression of chaos’, adding criticism of council is ‘a lot of noise’

Kensington council has risked further criticism after one of its Tory cabinet members said the media launched a “clever stunt” to give an “impression of chaos” when they mounted a legal challenge to stop the authority holding a meeting about the Grenfell Tower blaze in secret.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Catherine Faulks said criticism that her council was slow to respond to the disaster was “a lot of noise” and claimed demonstrators at recent protests were not “local” but “people who like doing that sort of thing”.

The Kensington and Chelsea council leader, Nick Paget-Brown, stepped down on Friday along with his deputy following another calamitous week that included a bungled attempt by the council to hold a cabinet meeting behind closed doors. Media organisations including the Guardian secured a high court order permitting access for the press. The meeting was scrapped when reporters entered the room.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Catherine Faulks near the scene of Grenfell fire. Photograph: Sky News

Faulks, sister-in-law of the Birdsong novelist Sebastian Faulks, said: “It was a clever stunt by the press to create this impression of chaos in a meeting we were having and I just want to explain the meeting was for all councillors of all parties to disseminate information about exactly what we’re doing on the ground.

“The press decided to get an ex-parte application at the last minute, which means the council had no right to reply or say what they were doing.”

Faulks said the council attempted to hold a meeting in private amid fears of a repeat of the protest outside the town hall on 16 June, which saw demonstrators storm the building. She repeated claims that the meeting was cancelled over fears of prejudicing the public inquiry into the disaster, which killed at least 80 people.

Speaking about the town hall protest, Faulks said: “I was very shaken. I had to call the police on 999 from inside the council for the SWAT team to take me out. But this isn’t about me.” It was unclear whether armed police attended the town hall during the protest.

Faulks, who is married to former Conservative justice minister Edward Faulks, claimed the protesters were not people affected by the disaster, adding: “The people that stormed the council weren’t the local community, they’re people who like doing that sort of thing and I think they did a disservice to the local community.”

Faulks also works as a “property finder” for Vivien Thompson Property Search, which looks for properties to buy for customers who do not have time to search. Her profile on the company website says “she has a flair for spotting the potential in any property”.

Defending the council against criticism that it had been slow to respond to the needs of residents impacted by the fire, she said: “I challenge any borough in the whole country to immediately have an action plan to put into place.

“We hear this constant noise that no one was there and no one was doing anything,” she added. “We have excellent officers.”

Earlier, the radio programme had heard from Yvette Williams, the coordinator of the Justice 4 Grenfell campaign group, who claimed at least one Grenfell resident was still having rent for their burned-out flat deducted from their bank account.

“I had someone call me yesterday telling me they’ve just got their bank account, card and that back, they’ve checked their statement, their rent has been deducted,” she said.



Responding to these claims, Faulks said: “Oh come on. I’m not saying it’s a tiny thing, for them it’s a huge thing and its very upsetting.

“But the council are in the process of trying to house 400 people. They’ve got people in hotels. They’ve put a social worker for every single family who is triaging them into a wraparound service.

“I’m sorry to hear that happened, but that person will have a one person connection to go to to explain that’s happened to sort out.”

In a later statement, a council spokesman said: “We are very sorry if this has happened and we are working to find out who has been affected so we can offer reassurance and an immediate refund.

“To the best of our knowledge the rent charges for Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk were stopped. But if anyone has had money inadvertently taken as part of a direct debit or standing order we will make arrangements to have it immediately refunded.”