Grenfell Tower: Suffolk firm "embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers"
The final report from the Grenfell Tower Fire Inquiry was released yesterday
Last updated 5th Sep 2024
The fire at Grenfell Tower which killed 72 people was the ‘culmination of decades of failure’ by the UK government and construction industry bodies according to an inquiry.
The final report from the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire on the 14th of June 2017 was released yesterday (4th September).
The inquiry was ordered by former Prime Minister Theresa May the day after the disaster and examined over 320,000 documents and witness statements presented over 300 public hearings.
The Grenfell Tower inquiry highlighted at least 57 recommendations for the construction industry, building regulations, the London Fire Brigade and UK Government.
Here are some of the findings from the report:
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: The cladding and insulation
A significant reason the inquiry found for why Grenfell Tower was covered in the deadly combustible cladding was due to ‘systematic dishonesty’ from those who made and sold the cladding. The report said those responsible for producing the cladding ‘used deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate testing data’ for the cladding and misrepresented the data to mislead the market.
Several manufacturers, including one based in Suffolk, were outlined in the report to be purposefully misleading the markets into thinking their insulation and panels were meeting safety requirements, even if internal testing proved otherwise.
One of the manufacturers highlighted in the inquiry was Arconic Architectural Products. The inquiry found Arconic deliberately concealed the true extent of the danger of this cladding particularly in high rise buildings. This includes the type of cladding used on the Grenfell Tower ‘reacting in a very dangerous way’ and failing to meet European standards in 2005.
The report says Arconic were ‘still determined to ‘exploit what it saw as weak regulatory regimes in certain countries including the UK’.
In total, three separate manufacturers of cladding were able to obtain misleading fire safety certificates in relation to their products.
A second company, Kingspan had, from 2005 and even after the inquiry began in the wake of the fire, "knowingly created a false market in insulation" for use on buildings over 18 metres, the report said.
Celotex, a firm based in Hadleigh, then, in an attempt to break into this market created by Kingspan, "embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead its customers and the wider market", the report concluded.
The Grenfell Inquiry listed several recommendations for the construction industry, including stricter regulations on the construction industry and manufacturers will be required by law to provide all test results that support claims about fire safety performance on their produces.
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: The UK Government
The inquiry found that there were many opportunities to identify the risks of combustible cladding panels and insulation. The then Department for Communities and Local Government by 2016 was ‘well aware’ of the risks of this cladding but failed to act.
The report also highlighted how the department was told the cladding was not at a good enough standard to be used as external cladding and should have been removed from Grenfell Tower years earlier. Some of those in the construction industry spoke of their concerns for this cladding in February 2016 but the government department failed to change the guidance on the use of this cladding for buildings.
Finally, the report said legitimate concerns about fire risks of the cladding raised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fire Safety were repeatedly met with a defensive and dismissive attitude by officials and some ministers.
One of the inquiries recommendation for the UK government following this report includes the appointment of a chief advisor to provide advice on the construction industry, including raising any concerns affecting the construction industry.
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: Fire Safety
The inquiry found the tenant management organisation of Grenfell Tower and its residents had a ‘troubled’ relationship for years before the fire with some residence saying the TMO was like an ‘uncaring bulling overlord that belittled and marginalised them’.
In term of the fire safety at the building, the inquiry said from 2009, there was an indifference to fire safety, particularly towards the needs of vulnerable people. Calls for a fire strategy to be put in place at the tower were ignored from 2009 till 2013 and no plan had been approved before the fire in 2017.
The inquiry recommended that there must be requirements that high-risk buildings must have a fire safety strategy produced by a fire engineer. This strategy must take into the account the needs of vulnerable people, including if anyone may need extra time to evacuate a building or go to a safe point.
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: The London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade were also criticised in the report. It highlighted how there was an assumption that building regulations were sufficient and that external wall fires would not happen in the UK.
The fire brigade also failed to recognise how a fire in a high-rise building would lead to a large number of call for help both in and around the building, meaning the fire brigade failed to respond effectively to the demand.
The report highlighted a need for extra training for how to best tackle external fires on high-rise buildings and the development of equipment and procedures to improve the effectiveness of fire and rescue services nationally.
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: Local Authorities
The final area of the report focuses on how the local authority responded to the disaster in the weeks after the fire. The inquiry found there were certain aspects of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea showing a ‘lack of respect for human decency and dignity’ and left many feeling abandoned and helpless. The report also found how not enough was done to help those from diverse backgrounds including those of the Muslim Faith who were practicing Ramadan at the time.
The inquiry said all local authorities could learn from the mistakes of the RBKC. It said local authorities should make practical arrangements allowing them to place people in temporary accommodation at short notice. Plans to provide immediate financial assistance for those affected by an emergency should also be created.
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: The local community
The one area of praise for the report came for how the local community responded to the disaster, saying they deserved the ‘greatest credit’.
They said the actions of the community were emphasised due to inadequacies of official response to the disaster and they provided support in the hours immediately following the fire when authorities were ‘conspicuous by their absence’.
Grenfell Fire Inquiry: Met Response
Responding to today's report, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “The publication of today’s inquiry report is a significant milestone for those deeply affected by the tragedy. The thoughts of the Met are especially with the bereaved, survivors and residents as well as the wider Grenfell community. We remember with much sadness all those who lost their lives.
“The report is direct, comprehensive and reaches clear conclusions.
“Our police investigation is independent of the public inquiry. It operates under a different legal framework and so we cannot simply use the report’s findings as evidence to bring charges.
“To secure justice for those who died and all those affected by the fire we must examine the report – line by line – alongside the evidence from the criminal investigation. As I said previously, this will take us at least 12-18 months.
“This will lead to the strongest possible evidence being presented to the Crown Prosecution Service so they can make charging decisions.
"I can’t pretend to imagine the impact of such a long police investigation on the bereaved and survivors, but we have one chance to get our investigation right.
“We will be thorough and diligent in our investigation while moving as swiftly as possible. We owe that to those who died and all those affected by the tragedy.”