London council that owned Grenfell Tower apologises for prioritising ‘financial benefits’

More than 70 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in 2017. AFP 

The London council that owned Grenfell Tower has apologised for putting financial benefits ahead of social benefits in planning decisions before the disaster.

Fire swept through Grenfell Tower killing 72 people in June 2017, making it one of the country's biggest peacetime disasters, and since then investigations have been trying to work out what went wrong and why the fire spread so quickly.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea takes in some of the capital’s most expensive real estate, including mansions overlooking Holland Park and Hyde Park, but also has stretches of social housing, including Grenfell Tower, where there is desperate need.

The apology, issued by council leader Elizabeth Campbell, related to the sale of property leases, including a library and a teacher trainer centre, to private school operators, among them the £21,000 ($29,250) a year Notting Hill preparatory school.

“Before 2017 the council did not find the right balance between financial benefits, and social benefits,” Ms Campbell said.

“Too often the council put the narrow goal of generating commercial income above the broader aim of delivering benefits to our wider community.

“We fell below the bar on consultation, transparency, scrutiny and policy. We cannot say hand on heart that residents were involved every step of the way, or that the council put their interests first and foremost, and for that we apologise.”

Among the deals, all for properties in the poorer north of the borough, the private school took on the lease of a Citizen’s Advice Bureau and sublet part of it to the Pret a Manger food chain.

Ms Campbell’s apology came as the council released an independent report into the deals that found shortcomings and problems, but not wrongdoing.

“No wrongdoing does not mean you were doing everything right,” Ms Campbell said.

“We will continue to shift our focus so that, wherever possible, we put social value and community interests first, beyond property, and in all we do,” she said.

Later this year, councillors will be cross-examined at a public inquiry into the Grenfell disaster.

Harley, the cladding firm responsible for supplying materials for Grenfell Tower, has admitted it made a budget mistake that led to a cheaper type of insulation panel being used.

A former employee at Celotex, the company that made the highly flammable insulation, has admitted the fire test was rigged.

Jonathan Roper told the public inquiry that the company was dishonest and over-engineered a fire test so the cladding would meet safety standards.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said Mr Roper’s testimony was “very shocking” and it showed why the UK needed a much stricter building code.