Grenfell United rejects council's 'unreserved apology'

Survivors group Grenfell United has rejected the council's unreserved apology after it admitted its building controllers made several key failings before signing off a refurbishment which saw the building coated in flammable panels.

Grenfell United said there was "no true remorse" in the admission by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, adding it was "insulting to survivors and bereaved families for them to suggest they are being honest about their role in our suffering".

RBKC counsel James Maxwell Scott QC told the inquiry on Wednesday:

RBKC owned the west London block but it was run by an arms-length body, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation which oversaw the refurbishment.

The inquiry heard earlier this week that building control officials failed to ask for comprehensive details of the project, including materials used in the cladding system.

Listing failings of the organisation, Mr Maxwell Scott said it "failed to ask for comprehensive details on the cladding system including the crown" and failed to identify that the insulation materials used in the cladding system were not of limited combustibility.

He said it should not have issued a completion certificate on July 7 2016.