If Labour takes Kensington and Chelsea council it will be able to manage the Grenfell atrocity that remains unsolved

The media called my victory in the 2017 general election a “shock”. Everyone remembers those 20 votes, when on 9 June, after three recounts, Kensington elected their first ever Labour MP. Interviewers wanted to ask how we had done it, how we overturned a 7,311 Conservative majority in what was deemed to be one of the party’s safest seats. And then, four days later, they had their answer.

The avoidable atrocity of the Grenfell Tower fire stands as testament to the inequality that I have been fighting in my constituency for decades. The neglect and betrayal of residents remains etched on our skyline in the form of a towering tombstone that captures all that has gone wrong with politics over the past few decades.

My role as Kensington’s Member of Parliament is as frustrating as it is rewarding. I do not come to the Palace of Westminster to enjoy walking the corridors of power. I come to this place every day to work on the individual cases that are deemed too grey or boring by some parts of the press, or the ones that go unreported because I refuse to hand over the names of terrified families who dread every knock on the door.

Despite warm words and apologies, our community has remained under assault since the day of the fire. Survivors have been dragged through the pages of the right-wing press. Rather than hunting for suitable houses, some have been hunting for damaging stories and gossip on those who lost everything. It is hard from within Parliament to change this, especially given that the Labour Party is in opposition and when the Government seems to believe throwing money at the problem is the only solution.

I prefer my time in my constituency to the dusty committee rooms of parliament. It is where I can be most helpful in responding to the individual needs of those my office supports who have suffered untold horror in the aftermath of the fire.

I firmly believe that politics starts at the local level. That is why the upcoming local elections are so important. Labour has a real chance of capturing Kensington and Chelsea council. But the reward is not personal power or gloating. It is about having the ability to manage the response to the atrocity that remains unsolved. It is being able to correct the mistakes of a Tory-led council which has spent money on a rehousing programme without asking survivors and the bereaved what they need. It is to be given the chance to ensure that this genuinely never happens again.

As a local councillor, and a member of the Planning Committee, keeping in touch with individuals and groups around the borough is part of my job. Many joke about the prospect of a socialist republic in Kensington and Chelsea but most acknowledge that having local Councillors who care more about their communities than about personal power or perks, who listen to issues and do their utmost to resolve them, is more important than knockabout party politicking and personal attacks.

Many life-long Conservatives say they are ashamed of what happened at Grenfell Tower. They now have the chance to remove the administration that has failed so many of its residents. They recognise and stand against the clear and pernicious intent to divide our communities and set neighbour against neighbour.

This is the end game for selfishness and opportunism, and the beginning of a new period of communities working together cooperatively for their mutual benefit. On 3 May, we should all be winners.

Emma Dent Coad is a Labour MP for Kensington and Chelsea