Grenfell refurbishment companies sued for more than £360m by council

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has launched a series of lawsuits against firms involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.

First reported by the Financial Times, the local authority is pursuing £360m plus interest from suppliers, subcontractors and other companies.

Seven companies are being sued, according to the report, including Arconic Architectural Products, Artelia Projects UK, Celotex, CEP Architectural Facades, Harley Facades, Rydon Maintenance, and Whirlpool (now known as Beko).

In court documents cited by the newspaper, RBKC specified losses including property acquisition and renovation costs of £129m, housing and temporary accommodation expenses of £47m and employment and staff costs of £41m.

Other costs referenced included £18m worth of hardship payments and £970,000 for fire marshals.

A Kensington and Chelsea council spokesperson said: “We have issued legal proceedings against a number of companies, in line with the council’s ongoing commitment to ensure those parties pay a share of the costs incurred against the public purse.”

The council’s lawsuits come after the publication of the Grenfell Inquiry phase 2 report last September.

>> Read more: Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report: all our coverage in one place

The report blamed the fire, which resulted in the deaths of 72 people in June 2017, on decades of government failure, a slapdash construction culture and the dishonesty of building product manufacturers.

The inquiry found that the choice of combustible materials for the cladding on the tower “resulted from a series of errors caused by the incompetence of the organisations and individuals involved in the refurbishment”.

It also found that the borough had neglected resident concerns about the tower and that its building control department had failed to ensure compliance.

All the firms involved in the suit have been contacted for comment.

CEP declined to comment.