Council extends contractor ban after Grenfell

Contractors implicated in the Grenfell Tower fire will continue to be banned from future council contracts, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has said.

The indefinite ban applies to Kingspan, Celotex, Arconic and Rydon is part of a series of measures, which also include a commitment to review and improve the council's culture.

A public inquiry previously found cladding was a major factor in how the 2017 fire took hold in the tower in north Kensington, west London, killing 72 people.

The 24-storey block is owned by RBKC and was refurbished in the years before the disaster.

The announcement of the ban was made at a recent council meeting held to discuss RBKC's response to the final report from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, three months after it was first published.

A 92-page council document presented at the meeting said the inquiry "laid bare catastrophic failures that occurred... in circumstances that were entirely preventable".

Contractors Kingspan, Celotex, Arconic and Rydon, who were involved in the Grenfell scandal, had previously been banned from council contracts in 2021.

Arconic, which made parts of the cladding material, did not respond directly to the continued ban. It said it co-operated with the inquiry and had made financial settlements for those affected by the fire and that it rejected claims its product was unsafe.

In a statement, Arconic Architectural Products SAS (AAP) added: "AAP did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer, or the public."

Saint Gobain, owner of Celotex, declined to comment.

Kingspan and Rydon did not respond.

During the meeting, RBKC's leader Elizabeth Campbell said the council fully accepted the inquiry's findings without question and she wanted to "really improve this organisation for the long term, and quickly".

"In the same way our communities show their commitment to us, we must demonstrate our commitment to them," she added.

She added that the council was also making a new commitment to review and improve its culture.

It comes after the inquiry report acknowledged what it called the "searing effect" the fire continued to have on the community in north Kensington.

It went on to say that while the emergency services were fighting the fire, "survivors, residents of the tower and those evacuated were abandoned".

It added: "It is clear to us that they were and most importantly felt themselves failed by those to whom they looked for protection in the wake of a major disaster."

As part of its response, the council is setting up a corporate resident procurement panel to give residents a voice in selecting and managing contract.

It is also reviewing its complaints process.

An independent advisory panel of bereaved family members, survivors and residents alongside figures in social housing and safety among other areas is also set to be established.

Its response document said: "We failed in our most basic duty - to keep people safe in their homes. We failed to listen to residents who raised concerns. We failed to respond with adequate urgency and humanity when disaster struck.

"These failures reflected deep-rooted problems in our culture and practices that we must continue to challenge and address."

It continued: "We invite residents to hold us to account, to tell us when we fall short, and to work with us in building lasting change."

Details of the contractor ban are set to be finalised at a meeting in December.

A detailed action plan will be published in early 2025, setting out timescales, roles and responsibilities, the council added.

The Lancaster West Residents’ Association has said it has acknowledged the council's apologies and commitments but change has been agonisingly slow and the community "remains trapped in uncertainty and frustration".

Chairman of the association, Alderman Mushtaq Lasharie CBE said: "While these gestures are welcome, they must translate into real, tangible actions that improve the lives of those affected.

"We are ready to work with the Council to achieve these goals, but we will not hesitate to challenge them when they fall short.

"We call on all parties, at every level of government, to prioritise the promises made to our community and deliver on them urgently."

Grenfell United has also been contacted for comment.

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