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Second phase of Grenfell Tower Inquiry to begin with statements from corporations
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry will resume this morning for its second phase, with opening statements from the architects and contractors involved in the deadly refurbishment.
The second phase will examine the build-up to the fire, which killed 72 people in June 2017. There will be a particular focus on the refurbishment, which installed highly combustible cladding to the walls of the tower.
Its work will be split across eight modules, which will examine the refurbishment, the testing and certification of the materials used, internal fire protections and other factors – including the role of central government.
Hearings are due to run until at least April 2021, with 200,000 pages of evidence due to be disclosed during this time – some of it understood to be explosive.
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Survivors and the bereaved said that they believe the “truth will be exposed” and that it will be left “clear that criminal charges must be brought for the deaths of our loved ones”.
The inquiry begins under a cloud, after panel member Benita Mehra resigned over the weekend because of her links to Arconic, the multinational corporation that sold the cladding panels used on the tower.
An investigation by Grenfell survivors uncovered that the Women’s Engineering Society received a £71,000 grant from the firm’s charitable arm while she was president.
It means the inquiry will be short of one panellist for the start of the hearings. The panellists are appointed by the prime minister to assist Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the inquiry’s chair.
Survivors said they had been promised that a replacement would be found quickly, but they argued that if this does not happen, the inquiry should be put on hold. “We deserve a fair crack at justice,” they said in a statement.
This week’s hearings mark the opening of module one, which will examine the primary refurbishment – including the decision to carry it out, the procurement of the contractor, the design and selection of the cladding panels, the fire strategy and building control sign-off.
The day will open with a statement from the counsel to the inquiry, followed by opening statements from Studio E, the architects; Rydon, the principal ‘design and build’ contractor; and Harley Facades, which was sub-contracted to work on the cladding.
Later in the week, fire consultants Exova will give an opening statement, as will Arconic and Celotex – which supplied the insulation.
Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will deliver opening statements on Wednesday. Lawyers for the bereaved and survivors will begin to open their case on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Grenfell United, which represents the bereaved and survivors, said: “We are hopeful the next phase of the inquiry will expose the people and organisations who put profit and greed above our safety and the safety of our loved ones. They did not care about our lives, acted dangerously and 72 people died. Those responsible continue to deflect blame and we have to suffer their persistent refusal to accept accountability for the preventable loss of life. They must now be held to account.
“The truth will be exposed and at the end of this process it will be clear that criminal charges must be brought for the deaths of our loved ones. It has been over two and a half years but our need to see justice has not faded.”
- Inside Housing will be publishing a weekly summary of each week of evidence of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s second phase, with a particular emphasis on the significance for the social housing sector
Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two: modules
Inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick (picture: Getty)
The second phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be split into eight separate modules. Hearings will begin on Monday 27 January with the first module called ‘The primary refurbishment (overview and cladding)’.
This will include an examination of the decision to carry out the refurbishment and its budget, as well as the procurement of Rydon to act as the ‘design-and-build’ contractor for the job.
The selection of the materials in the cladding system, their compliance with the regulations and the process of building control will also come under the spotlight.
The inquiry will then move on to the testing, certification and marketing of the cladding products used.
Other modules will include active and passive fire prevention features of the tower – such as fire doors, lifts and the smoke control system, the role of central government and further evidence about the preparedness of the fire service.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two previews
Picture: Getty
Inside Housing published a series of preview articles ahead of the start of Phase Two of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on Monday 27 January. You can read them here:
What was known in central government about cladding?
What did officials know about the dangers of fire from combustible cladding, and did they act on the warnings?
Click here to read the full story
The testing and certification of materials
What tests and certificates existed for the materials used in the cladding system on Grenfell Tower, and was the system that provided them fit for purpose?
Click here to read the full story
The decision to install the cladding
Who decided to install polyethylene-cored ACM cladding on Grenfell Tower and why?
Click here to read the full story
The fire doors and windows
What went wrong with the fire doors and window installed at the tower?
Click here to read the full story
The warnings of the local community
What did residents say before the fire and why were they ignored?
Click here to read the full story
Over the course of the inquiry, Inside Housing will publish regular news updates on its progress and a weekly round-up of the key evidence and its significance for the social housing sector every Friday afternoon.
