On Cladding Matters, we were expecting to discover where Greenwich councillors stood on the evidence presented by Steve Day concerning what he says are unlawful defects at Royal Artillery Quays.
Instead, the deadline moved.
Steve decided to give every councillor at the Royal Borough of Greenwich another week to respond. That means the new deadline is this Friday at 1pm, exactly when Cladding Matters goes live.
Another seven days. Another opportunity to answer what Steve believes is a very straightforward question.
Do councillors agree with the evidence that has been presented regarding unlawful defects at Royal Artillery Quays? If they do, what are they prepared to do about it?
Steve has spent a considerable amount of time putting that evidence before those who have the ability to question, challenge and act. In his view, and that of many residents, the evidence is now so extensive and compelling that it leaves little room for disagreement.
Yet the question remains. Where does each councillor stand?
Extending the deadline could hardly be described as unreasonable. Councillors have now been given additional time to consider what has been sent to them, ask questions if necessary and make their position clear.
Perhaps more importantly, nobody can now reasonably say that they simply did not have enough time to respond.
That makes this Friday particularly interesting.
Steve has already said that he is prepared to widely publicise which councillors have responded, which have not, and which continue to disagree with the evidence he has presented.
That may make some people uncomfortable. Yet there is a wider question here about accountability.
These are elected representatives. When residents bring serious concerns about the safety and construction of their homes to those elected to represent them, surely it is reasonable to expect an answer.
It does not have to be a lengthy answer. It does not have to agree with everything Steve has said. However, after another week has been provided, silence itself becomes increasingly difficult to understand.
For the residents of Royal Artillery Quays, this comes after years of questions, correspondence and campaigning. They are also living through the reality of remediation while continuing to seek answers about how their buildings came to be in this position in the first place.
That is why this is about far more than an email.
It is about whether residents can get those in positions of responsibility to engage with evidence placed before them. It is about whether elected representatives are prepared to ask difficult questions when their constituents believe something has gone seriously wrong.
And ultimately, it is about trust.
Last week, the clock was reset. This week, it runs out.
By the time we go live at 1pm on Friday, every Greenwich councillor will have had an additional seven days to decide whether to respond and to make their position known.
So what happens next?
Will more councillors come forward before the deadline? Will anyone who disagrees with Steve explain why? Will those who accept the evidence be prepared to act? And what happens if, after all of this, some councillors still choose not to answer at all?
This Friday, we should begin to find out.
Join Gareth Wax and Hamish McLay for Cladding Matters: The Final Countdown – Greenwich Must Answer, live Friday at 1pm.
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