And so the blame game begins. On 27 January, the second phase of the inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell fire opened. Within the first few days, we were treated to the spectacle of all the main companies involved in the lethal refurbishment of Grenfell Tower attempting to blame each other for what went wrong. Each denied any responsibility whatsoever for the fire on 14 June 2017 in which 72 people were killed. It amounted to, in the words of inquiry counsel Richard Millett QC, ‘a merry-go-round of buck-passing’. Additionally and reprehensibly, several key witnesses are seeking immunity from prosecution for themselves and their organisations in any future criminal proceedings as a condition for giving evidence.
This phase of the inquiry will examine the roles played by the following organisations:
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) which had ultimate responsibility for the £9.2m refurbishment of the 24-storey block between 2012 and 2016
- Kensington and Chelsea Tenants Management Organisation (KCTMO), which managed all social housing in the borough and oversaw the refurbishment through its agents, Artelia. KCTMO has strenuously denied that ‘value engineering exercises’ – ie cost-cutting – played any role in the disaster, even though for just £200,000 more, non-flammable cladding could have been used.
- The contractors, Rydon.
- The architects, Studio E.
- Arconic, the US company that supplied the cladding for the building, and UK-based Celotex that manufactured the insulation. The first phase of the inquiry found that it was the combination of these flammable products that directly contributed to the ferocity and speed with which the fire spread, burning at temperatures of 1,000C and engulfing the entire building within 15 minutes.
- The specialists who installed the cladding, Harley Façades and
- the contracted fire engineers, Exova Warringtonfire.
Already these criminals are turning on each other like rats in a sack. The first few days of the inquiry were a legal pantomime, with the main players trading accusation and counter-accusation in statements ‘carefully crafted’ to absolve their own company of blame.
- Rydon has emails showing that Arconic knew its ACM panels were flammable, with an executive in 2011 describing the product’s ‘bad behaviour’ in response to fire and in 2015 saying it was ‘dangerous on façades’. Arconic argues that ‘anyone professional’ would have known the core of its panels were combustible and not suitable for use on a project like Grenfell.
- Rydon says Celotex was considering discontinuing its insulation in 2013 because it knew it posed a serious fire risk, and Harley says Celotex was dishonest about the suitability of its product to be used at Grenfell. Celotex has responded by insisting that Rydon, Harley and Exova all knew the cladding panels would fail if flames reached the ouside of the building and its product would ignite, and its insulation had never been intended to be used in such a combination.
- KCTMO says Rydon was responsible for all aspects of design and construction on the refurbishment project; Rydon said it had delegated all responsibility for cladding to Studio E and Harley, and Harley was responsible for compliance with building regulations – but Harley says that was Studio E’s job. Coming full circle, Studio E says Rydon took responsibility for design…
And so on and so forth. Not one ounce of remorse from these charlatans for their lethal negligence, penny-pinching and greed. Even the ‘unreserved’ apology issued by the council for its blatant, proven failures in signing off on the shoddy building work is an insult to the people of Grenfell. In the next breath, its lawyers went on to insist that RBKC should not, however, be held legally responsible for these breaches and any financial compensation should be sought from the designers and contractors, not the local authority. This council, whose contempt for the living conditions, safety and human rights of the working class in one of its poorest districts was a major factor in the Grenfell fire, continues to fail local residents. Having in the aftermath of Grenfell stripped cladding off neighbouring tower blocks, since 2018 those living there say the buildings are now like sponges, with water pooling on their floors, damp spreading up the walls and freezing conditions, resulting in heating bills they cannot afford. The council has no intention of replacing the cladding before July 2020.
There must surely be a special place reserved in hell for these vile criminals. Every single one played a part in constructing the death trap that was Grenfell Tower; each contributed to the death of 72 people, including 18 children, the destruction of homes and devastation of lives. Now, over the next year and a half of the inquiry, they will twist and turn to avoid scrutiny, responsibility and any kind of legal or financial accountability or justice for survivors and the bereaved. The demand for justice continues. Criminal charges are the very least the people of Grenfell have the right to expect.
Cat Allison
