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The government knew that the type of cladding used on Grenfell Tower should “never ever” have been used above 18 metres from the middle of September 2002, evidence at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry this week confirms.
Former Building Research Establishment director Debbie Smith gave evidence to the inquiry that the government was in “no doubt” that ACM panels with a polyethylene core should “never ever” be used above 18 metres from mid-September 2002.
She confirmed that this was her evidence, within the context of the development of a large-scale test for cladding systems. ACM panels with a polyethylene core were used in the refurbishment of Grenfell, and played a key role in the fire’s spread.
In September 2002 the results of fire tests of ACM polyethylene cladding permitted under guidance at the time were delivered to the government by the Building Research Establishment, which according to Peter Apps, deputy editor at Inside Housing, showed ACM systems to have “utterly disastrous failure” here.
According to Apps, the government nonetheless did not issue any warning to industry not to use it and did not alter guidance in a manner that should have prevented its use on tall buildings.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: “It is sickening that the government knew of the risks of this cladding 15 years before the disaster at Grenfell. They did nothing for one-and-a-half decades. Westminster governments are the ones responsible for this failure to regulate properly.
“We also have to ask why it has taken almost five years to start to get to these key facts. This highlights much that has gone wrong with this inquiry so far.
“Whilst this is appalling, it isn’t a shock. Everything we know about Grenfell and governments’ attitude to fire safety over past decades suggests that priority was always given to the demands of corporate interests above the needs of people."
A DLUHC spokesperson said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy must never be allowed to happen again.
“The department has apologised for its past failures in its oversight of building safety – and we continue to support the Inquiry throughout its investigations.
“The inquiry has established that the cladding used on Grenfell Tower was not compliant with the regulations in place at the time and we remain absolutely committed to helping the inquiry get to the truth.”
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