The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has announced its commitment to “drive up standards” in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.
The sentiments were shared during a full council meeting on Wednesday 27 November 2024. The council stated it had already accepted the findings of the Inquiry, in which “weaknesses” had been identified across “multiple areas”.
These include the failure of the RBKC’s Building Control department to perform its “statutory function of ensuring that the design of the Grenfell Tower refurbishment complied with building regulations”. As such, “significant failings” were identified, including “a breakdown in relationships with residents often characterised by disrespect and indifference, a lack of professional competence in critical functions like building control and emergency planning, and failures of leadership and governance”.
In its response, which comes 12 weeks after the publication of the Phase 2 report, the council said it was “committed to driving up professional standards and resetting the power imbalance between residents and the council”.
Part of this would include commissioning a review of the culture within the council to investigate concerns over discrimination and how residents were being treated.
It would also establish an “independent advisory panel” of bereaved family members, survivors, and residents (BSRs) alongside “independent experts in social housing, safety, customer service, and organisational change”. Additional actions include extending an existing ban on contractors implicated in the Grenfell Inquiry, supporting 100% of staff in building control to complete professional accreditation and training, and training staff to regard resilience and emergency response as part of their core responsibilities.
While RBKC said significant changes had been made since 2017, including the implementation of the recommendations of the Phase 1 report and the establishment of a “dedicated in-house fire safety team”, it recognised there was more to do.
In her speech, council leader Councillor Elizabeth Campbel said: “In September, and again in our response tonight, we fully accept the findings of the Inquiry, and without question.
“I believe we are the first organisation to do so, and to lay out what we will do next. I will also say this: the deafening silence from the companies involved in the Inquiry has been palpable and our communities have felt it.
“Two of our main commitments tonight centre around this aspect, and I want to be clear on them this evening.
“One – we will rapidly set out policy to extend our ban on using companies involved in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
“Two – residents will be involved in selecting and managing future contracts.”
The council’s third commitment, Campbel said, would be to “review and improve our culture as an organisation”.
“The way we do things will often be more important than what we actually do,” she said.
You can access the council’s full response here.