Council admits it ‘wrongly approved’ Grenfell’s cladding because of out-of-date documents

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has admitted the combustible cladding on Grenfell Tower was wrongly approved by its building control department, which was working from out-of-date documents.

For RBKC, James Maxwell-Scott QC told the public inquiry into the tragedy that building control should have been the “last line of defence” to prevent an unsafe design being built.

But he admitted its officers signed off the building in the summer of 2016 based on a fire safety strategy dated November 2013.

The hearing has heard that materials used in the £10m refurbishment, including the highly combustible outer cladding panels, were changed between those two dates.

Mr Maxwell-Scott said the council was responsible for a series of failings including not asking for specific details of the cladding system.

He said building control officers had “failed to identify that the insulation materials used in the cladding system were not of limited combustibility”.

He went on: “Building control issued a completion certificate in July 2016. It should not have done so. The council apologises unreservedly for these failings.”

In response, the bereaved families’ and survivors’ group, Grenfell United, accused the council of insulting them.

“RBKC do not get any credit for their statement this morning, it is insulting to survivors and bereaved families for them to suggest they are being honest about their role in our suffering,” it said in a statement.

“There is no confession here, barely any honesty and certainly no true remorse. They have no choice but to accept that it was a total failure for their building control to sign off the refurbishment.”

Earlier in the day, key individuals involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower asked for the guarantee that they will not be prosecuted based on evidence they give.

Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick drew gasps in the hearing room when he said witnesses from contractors Harley Facades and Rydon, and the tenant management organisation, “as well as some others”, wanted the guarantee.

Sir Martin said: “What they are asking me to do is to apply to the attorney general for an undertaking that nothing said by a witness in answer to questions asked in the inquiry will be used in furtherance of a prosecution against them.”

He added that they feel it would allow them to have the “complete freedom to tell the truth without any concern for their future”.

Sir Martin also said: “Very recently I’ve been advised that, when they are called to give evidence, which of course will start next week, many of the witnesses who were involved in the design and choice of materials are likely to claim privilege against self-incrimination as a reason for not answering questions.

The request will be considered at the inquiry on Thursday afternoon ahead of the first witness testimony on Monday.

The request comes after it was revealed on Tuesday that some of the firms involved in the refurbishment of the tower were aware that some of the materials used would be flammable.

(c) Sky News 2020: Council admits it ‘wrongly approved’ Grenfell’s cladding because of out-of-date documents