Grenfell landlords appeared to have a ‘reactive approach to maintenance’

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Grenfell Tower’s landlords appeared to have a “reactive approach to maintenance” dating back to a report in 2013, a public inquiry has heard.

Andrew Kinnier QC, for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, said that a document in 2013 viewed the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), as having a “reactive approach to maintenance” built more on compliance rather than breakdown.

The TMO was the organisation appointed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to run its entire council housing stock.

The document says there were issues which needed attention regarding planned maintenance.

It stated that “there are only a handful of arrangements in the policy” and “many are missing” such as pressure vessels, working at height and contractor management.

It added that “many of the fire arrangements have been bunched together and by doing so lack the detail in relation to what the planned preventative maintenance process should look like”.

Giving evidence to the inquiry on Monday, Sacha Jevans, of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, said she believed that work would have been done to address the situation by a colleague called Anthony Parkes.

She said he would have “led on making sure that the policies are correct” and that the follow-up from this report would have included putting in place redrafted polices if necessary.

This would have been done in conjunction with the contract management team and any other advice that was needed, she added.

Ms Jevans said she did not recall the suggestion that there appeared to be a lack of detail in relation to the planned preventative programme at the time.

Of the description in 2013 of the TMO as having a reactive approach to maintenance, Ms Jevans said she thought the organisation “understood about planned preventative maintenance” and that it was working to “pick up this gap”.

Asked if she would have made any contribution in ensuring these deficiencies were fixed, she said: “I am sure there was discussion in the monthly health and safety meetings.

“In terms of my technical input, I really do not have that technical background so it would not be for me to make comment on a ventilation system (as) I do not have that expertise.”

Mr Kinnier said that a full review of the property policy arrangements was recommended in the 2013 document.

Ms Jevans said this would have been the responsibility of Mr Parkes.

A fire at the Grenfell Tower block in west London in June 2017 claimed 72 lives.