FIRE PROBE
Grenfell council ‘made properties LESS safe’ since blaze, ex-fire boss claims – as report into tragedy released today
Council pressured those overseeing the refurbishment of the tower to use the cheapest contractor
A COUNCIL accused of failings over Grenfell has made some of its properties less safe since the disaster that claimed 72 lives, an ex-fire safety chief said.
The experienced fire risk and safety engineer was hired to make building improvements following the tragedy but quit after seven months.
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The engineer, who was working for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), claimed work done to increase fire safety was actually putting residents at greater risk.
He also accused the RBKC of racism, and claimed he “couldn’t look my kids in the eyes” without calling out the culture of senior leaders in the council.
The former fire chief spoke before findings from the Grenfell inquiry report are released on Wednesday - in a shocking seven-year wait since in the tragedy.
He said: “After taking time to reflect on my time at RBKC I came to the conclusion that I had to speak up and call it out.
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“Residents of the borough rightly expected that fire safety issues were being tackled and I couldn’t look my kids in the eyes without calling out the racism seemingly directed towards myself and others.”
A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: "These allegations are completely unsubstantiated and made by a former employee who was failing his probationary period due to poor performance.
"In an investigation into his complaint he was asked on several occasions to provide specific details on buildings, locations and defects, but he did not provide these.
“Our residents’ safety is our number one priority. We have a fire risk assessment programme and there are no substantial risks on any of our buildings.
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“We have Secure Information Boxes at buildings over 11 metres for firefighters, so they can access information quickly about the building and its residents.
"We have employed building safety managers who carry out regular audits of our buildings and run engagement events with residents of these buildings to focus on safety issues.”
RBKC has faced criticism for the handling of Grenfell Tower before and after the fire in 2017.
It comes as a public inquiry heard the council pressured those overseeing the refurbishment of the tower to use the cheapest contractor.
Today's lengthy document will be the final report of the inquiry into the 2017 disaster.
It is expected to lay out in detail its findings around the actions of corporate firms in the construction industry, the local authority, London Fire Brigade and government.
Families of those killed have insisted it must be a "landmark report" which prompts widescale change after a "spider's web of blame" was spun during inquiry hearings.
Firefighter took selfie in front of smouldering Grenfell Tower and used it for his Tinder profile
A report in 2019 concluded the tower's cladding did not comply with building regulations and was the "principal" reason for the rapid and "profoundly shocking" spread of the blaze.
This final report looks into the tower's refurbishment from the year before it was engulfed.
It is expected to present conclusions on how the flames were able to spread so quickly.
It comes just over a week after an east London block, which had been undergoing work to have cladding removed after Grenfell, went up in flames.
The non-fatal Dagenham blaze, coming so many years after the 2017 fire, prompted fierce criticism.
Bereaved and survivors group Grenfell United said it showed the "painfully slow progress of remediation across the country, and a lack of urgency for building safety as a whole".
Dame Judith Hackitt, who led an independent review into building regulations after the Grenfell fire, described it as "really concerning" that so many people are still living in uncertainty and fear about the safety of their homes.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had, at Tuesday's Cabinet, said the Dagenham fire was a further reminder of the importance of learning lessons from Grenfell.
The Fire Brigades Union has said the Grenfell fire "was a crime caused by deregulation and institutional failings at the highest level".
Grenfell findings could now ramp up pressure on police and prosecutors to make speedier progress on getting people before the courts.
In May, the Met Police said their investigators need until the end of 2025 to finalise their inquiry, and prosecutors will then need a year to decide whether charges can be brought.
The mammoth cop investigation into the fire has already generated 27,000 lines of inquiry and more than 12,000 witness statements.
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Some 58 individuals and 19 companies and organisations are under investigation for potential criminal offences - with more than 300 hours of interviews have taken place.
Potential offences under consideration include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office, health and safety offences, fraud and offences under the fire safety and building regulations.
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