Kensington and Chelsea Council has decided to extend the ban on contractors linked to the Grenfell Tower fire from future projects
London: So, the Kensington and Chelsea Council has made a big move. They’re extending the ban on contractors who were involved in the Grenfell Tower fire. This decision was made during a meeting on December 11, and it’s a follow-up to a proposal they shared last month.
Cllr Sof McVeigh, who’s in charge of housing management, said it’s totally the right call. She emphasized how important it is to keep this ban going, especially for those contractors linked to the Grenfell tragedy.
During the meeting, she mentioned that they’ve been doing this since 2021 and promised to review it after the inquiry report came out. There was also a question about whether builders in the area, who aren’t contracted by the council, would follow the same rules.
An officer from the council responded, saying that developers are already eager to understand how the community feels about these contractors. It seems they want to respect the sentiments of the people affected by the Grenfell incident.
The officer pointed out that developers and housing associations are keen to get advice on how to operate in the borough, especially considering the Grenfell context. They want to make sure they’re in tune with community feelings.
The ban specifically stops Rydon from applying for council contracts and prevents contractors from subcontracting to companies like Kingspan and Celotex. It also means they can’t buy products from these firms either.
This ban was first put in place in 2021 after campaigners from Grenfell United pushed for it. The council’s recent proposal to extend the ban comes as they respond to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 report, which pointed out that the local authority had a lot of responsibility for what happened.
They’ve also set up a residents’ procurement panel, giving the community a voice in how contractors are chosen and managed. The Grenfell Tower fire, which happened on June 14, 2017, was a tragic event that claimed 72 lives and left many homeless. It really highlighted serious safety issues and led to a public inquiry into building regulations.