Multiple companies are being sued over their involvement in the refurbishment of the Grenfell Tower in a £360 million legal claim by the Royal Borough Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC)
First reported by the Financial Times, RBKC filed a series of lawsuits against a number of companies, including Arconic Architectural Products, Celotex (and its then majority owner Saint-Gobain), CEP Architectural Facades, Harley Facades, Rydon Maintenance, and Artelia Projects UK for their involvement in the refurbishment of the Grenfell Tower prior to the tragic fire that took place in 2017.
In early October 2024, the council released an update on its ongoing cost recovery process in relation to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Released shortly after the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report on 4 September 2024, the council confirmed it was in the middle of “legal processes surrounding the recovery of public money from companies involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower and the subsequent inquiry”.
While the lawsuits did “not diminish the Council’s own role and its own failings” in the tragedy, with RBKC admitting it “could, and should, have done more to keep people safe”, it stated at the time: “This update is not connected to the inquiry timeline or the timing of the publication of the final report, but connected to the end of a legal standstill process that has been underway for a number of years and is now coming to an end. A standstill is a voluntary arrangement reached between two parties involved in a dispute.
“The Council is in a process of claiming against some of the companies involved to recover some of these costs in Civil Courts. Given the nature of these legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate for the Council to comment on specific detail, but in line with our commitments on transparency and candour, we wanted our residents to be aware of the steps we are taking and hear it from us first.
“As is well documented, the Council spent significant amounts of public money on the response to the Grenfell tragedy, to try and support the bereaved, survivors, and immediate community. This includes the costs of rehousing, financial assistance, and the subsequent payment of compensation. It is not known if recovering these costs will be fully successful, but any money received back will go towards these costs.”
Back in 2021, the council issued a legal claim alongside RBKC Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) against domestic appliance company Whirlpool and cladding manufacturer Arconic. Soon after this, a separate civil claim was also filed by 22 parties, including bereaved family members, survivors, and local residents (BSRs), which reached an out-of-court settlement in 2023.
In its current legal proceedings, RBKC looks to recover a total of £358 million plus interest, including housing and temporary accommodation expenses, property acquisition and renovation costs, and the use of fire marshals. More details have been specified by the Financial Times here.
As reported by Inside Housing, a spokesperson for Celotex said: “In October 2024, the owner of Grenfell Tower at the time of the fire (The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea) issued a claim against Celotex Limited and Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited, and six other sets of third parties.
“The claim relates to losses it claims to have suffered as a result of the fire. This claim was anticipated and is at an early stage. A defence to the claim will be filed later this year in line with the timetable ordered by the court.”
As previously reported by the FPA, RBKC also expanded its 2021 ban on the “use of certain contractors and suppliers in council construction projects”, with Siderise Insulation Ltd launching a legal dispute against the council’s decision, stating that it did not meet the council’s “criteria for excluding companies”.