Nicholas Paget-Brown

Nicholas Paget-Brown (born 1957) is an English Conservative politician who was leader of the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council.[1] He was first elected as a councillor for Hans Town on 8 May 1986.[2] He became leader of the council on 23 May 2013.[3] On 30 June 2017, he announced that he would step down as leader due to the council's response to the Grenfell Tower fire,[4] and was replaced as leader by Conservative Elizabeth Campbell on 19 July 2017.[1]

Early life

Paget-Brown was born in March 1957.[5] He studied at the University of York.[6] In 1983 the Bow Group published his Unfinished Business Proposals for the Reform of the House of Lords, a 14-page pamphlet.[7]

Career

Paget-Brown worked for a small start-up company in the City providing online research service for financial institutions which was acquired by Reuters in 1985. He then became an international marketing manager for Reuters. In 1991 he left to join Knight Ridder setting up a London office for them. He has subsequently done consultancy work.[8]

Cultural activities as a councillor

Paget-Brown has been supportive of Opera Holland Park over a period of many years. In 2008 as RBKC cabinet member for leisure services he supported the decision to take the company's production of Tosca on tour to Richmond.[9] In 2015 when Opera Holland Park was restructured as an independent charitable organisation, in his capacity as a councillor Paget-Brown endorsed the appointment of Charles Mackay to chair the Opera Holland Park Trust.[10]

He was also a champion of the Cultural Placemaking initiative which was started as part of the Council's Arts and Culture Policy in 2009. The plan was to build on the work of Opera Holland Park and Leighton House Museum to develop a broader coherent strategy to encourage developers to consider the council's creative and artistic ambitions when working on a development project.[11]

Grenfell Tower fire
Main article: Grenfell Tower fire

Three years before the Grenfell Tower fire, in 2014, the Grenfell Action Group – a residents group in Grenfell Tower – wrote to Paget-Brown calling on him to "investigate the actions of the council's Planning Dept and the TMO" who they accused of breaking the law by failing to consult the residents as regards the Grenfell Tower Improvement Works.[12] However, when Paget-Brown was subsequently interviewed as leader of the council following the fire of 14 June 2017 on Newsnight,[13] he caused controversy with his remark that "many residents felt that we needed to get on with the installation of new hot water systems, new boilers and that trying to retrofit more would delay the building and that sprinklers aren't the answer."[14][15][16]

On 18 June, the government relieved the borough council of responsibility for supporting the survivors, after a perceived inadequate response.[17][18] On 21 June, the council's chief executive Nicholas Holgate resigned amid criticism over the borough's response to the fire.[19] On 29 June, Paget-Brown issued instructions that the first full meeting of the Council following the fire be held in private, without the presence of local residents or the media, contrary to convention.[20] Having previously resisted calls to resign,[17] Paget-Brown announced his resignation the following day.[20][21] He was replaced by Conservative Elizabeth Campbell on 19 July 2017.[1]

Personal life

Paget-Brown has lived in Chelsea since 1984.[22]

References
  1. "Grenfell Tower fire: New council leader heckled by public". BBC News. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  2. "Members". www.rbkc.gov.uk. RBKC. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. "Committees". www.rbkc.gov.uk. RBKC. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  4. "Council leader to quit over fire response". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. "Nicholas PAGET BROWN – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  6. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-paget-brown-45913b5
  7. Paget-Brown, Nicholas (1983). "Unfinished Business Proposals for the Reform of the House of Lords – Nicholas Paget-Brown – Google Books". Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  8. Paget-Brown, Nick (30 April 2013). "NICK PAGET-BROWN ADDRESSES FELLOW COUNCILLORS". fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  9. GetWestLondon (5 November 2008). "Tosca heads west to earn Richmond riches". getwestlondon. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  10. "Charles Mackay to chair Opera Holland Park Trust". www.rbkc.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  11. "Leisure Management – Creative Spirit". www.leisuremanagement.co.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  12. Grenfell Action Group (13 December 2014). "An Open Letter to Nick Paget-Brown". Grenfell Action Group. Grenfell Action Group. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  13. "Grenfell Tower fire: Interview with Council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown – BBC Newsnight". Youtube. Newsnight. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  14. Robson, Steve (15 June 2017). "Shameless Tory council leader blames Grenfell residents for lack of sprinklers". Mirror. Mirror. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  15. Horton, Helena (16 June 2017). "Anger as leader of Kensington Council appears to blame Grenfell residents for sprinklers not being installed". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  16. MacLeod, Gordon (2018). "The Grenfell Tower atrocity: Exposing urban worlds of inequality, injustice, and an impaired democracy" (PDF). City. 22 (4): 469. doi:10.1080/13604813.2018.1507099. S2CID 150175737.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  17. Macaskill, Ewen (18 June 2017). "Council sidelined in Grenfell Tower response as leader refuses to quit". The Observer. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  18. Chloe Cornish, Andrew Jack (18 June 2017). "Kensington council sidelined after faltering Grenfell relief effort". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  19. "London fire: Kensington council boss quits over Grenfell tragedy". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  20. McLeod 2018, p. 471.
  21. Walker, Peter (30 June 2017). "Kensington and Chelsea council leader quits in wake of Grenfell disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  22. Kensington, Chelsea & Fulham Conservatives. "Nicholas Paget-Brown – Brompton & Hans Town | Kensington, Chelsea & Fulham". Kcfc.org.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
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