A landmark report has revealed that the Grenfell Tower disaster was caused by a combination of “systemic dishonesty” from cladding and insulation companies and a government that ignored warnings about the dangers posed to residents of high-rise buildings.
The report, published more than seven years after the Grenfell fire that claimed 72 lives, found that the government was “well aware” of the deadly risks posed by combustible cladding and insulation a year before the tragedy, but “failed to act on what it knew.”
The Grenfell Inquiry, led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, pointed to a “toxic” relationship between the residents of the tower and the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), which was responsible for overseeing the building’s services, as a contributing factor. The final report, spanning nearly 1,700 pages, outlines how the west London tower block came to be in such a dangerous state.
Key findings from Sir Martin’s report include:
- Government Failings: Officials were described as “complacent, defensive and dismissive” regarding fire safety, prioritising cutting red tape over safety regulations.
- Inappropriate Oversight: The report highlighted an “inappropriate relationship” between approved inspectors and those they were supposed to be inspecting.
- Residents Marginalised: Grenfell residents who raised safety concerns were dismissed as “militant troublemakers.”
The report includes 58 recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future.
Government Complacency Over Fire Risks
The first phase of the Grenfell Inquiry in 2019 identified combustible cladding as the primary cause of the rapid spread of the fire. The final report concludes that the disaster resulted from decades of failures by those in power to properly assess the risks associated with combustible materials on high-rise buildings. Successive governments missed multiple opportunities to prevent the tragedy.
Warnings about the deadly risks posed by combustible cladding and insulation were raised as early as 1991, following a fire at the Knowsley Heights tower block in Huyton, Merseyside. In 2009, six people died in a similar incident at Lakanal House in Camberwell, south London, after a fire spread to combustible cladding.
By 2016, the Department for Communities and Local Government was “well aware of those risks but failed to act on what it knew,” the report states. It adds that during the renovation of Grenfell Tower in the 2010s, there was a “seriously defective” system in place to regulate the construction and refurbishment of high-rise buildings.
Unsafe Products and Deliberate Deception
The report strongly condemns the cladding and insulation firms involved in the Grenfell refurbishment, accusing them of engaging in “deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing processes, misrepresent test data and mislead the market.”
Arconic, the company that manufactured the cladding used on Grenfell Tower, “deliberately concealed” the danger of the panels. Celotex, the supplier of most of the insulation, similarly “embarked on a dishonest scheme to mislead customers.” Kingspan was found to have continued selling its insulation product for use on high-rise buildings despite knowing it had “disastrously” failed fire safety tests.
The report suggests these companies were able to get away with such practices because the regulatory bodies responsible for overseeing and certifying their products repeatedly failed to monitor and supervise them effectively.
Residents’ Concerns Dismissed
The Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), responsible for running services at Grenfell Tower, also faced harsh criticism in the report. Residents who voiced concerns about safety were labelled as “militant troublemakers,” contributing to a “toxic atmosphere” fuelled by mutual mistrust. Relations between the TMO and residents were described as “increasingly characterised by distrust, dislike, personal antagonism and anger.” Many residents viewed the TMO as an “uncaring and bullying overlord that belittled and marginalised them.”
The TMO, along with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, were both held responsible for managing fire safety at Grenfell Tower. However, the period between 2009 and 2017 was marked by a “persistent indifference to fire safety,” the report states.
Next Steps
The inquiry’s findings have prompted strong reactions, with the inquiry’s Counsel accusing the parties involved of engaging in a “merry-go-round of buck-passing,” largely blaming each other for the disaster. While the inquiry itself cannot make findings of civil or criminal liability, its completion now paves the way for the police investigation into the Grenfell disaster to continue.
A special programme on the Grenfell Tower report will air at 8pm tonight on Sky News’ UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee.
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