KCTMO responsible for ‘systemic failings’ in fire safety management, Grenfell Inquiry finds

Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) failed to disclose important information about fire safety risks at Grenfell Tower on numerous occasions, the inquiry’s final report on the fire has found.

In a 2009 report to KCTMO’s board, it was noted that organisation did not mention that Salvus Consulting Limited had identified 19 breaches of the Fire Safety Order in their assessment.

The report concluded that Robert Black, KCTMO’s chief executive, and the executive team “failed to make even the most basic disclosure to the board regarding the widespread systemic failings in fire safety management identified by Salvus.”

It highlighted an “emerging pattern” of Black withholding serious fire safety issues from his superiors.

The report also noted that concerns from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) about KCTMO’s fire risk assessments had been present since the beginning of Black’s tenure in 2009.

At that time, it said the LFB was so concerned about the inadequacies of KCTMO’s fire safety approach that it considered serving an enforcement notice on both KCTMO and RBKC.

In addition, the report notes that KCTMO’s executive team “relied heavily” on Janice Wray, former health and safety and facilities manager for KCTMO, for all aspects of health and safety.

The report noted: “The responsibilities she was given were probably too much for one person to discharge properly without substantial assistance and effective oversight and unfortunately she had neither.

“Senior managers either did not realise that there was simply too much for her to do, or, if they did, they were nonetheless willing for her just to get on and do her best.”

Although Wray was not a member of the TMO’s senior management team, due to the reliance on her and the level of autonomy she had, the report said she was “effectively acting at senior management level in relation to health and safety.”

The report also revealed a troubled relationship between KCTMO, which managed around 10,000 homes for Kensington & Chelsea Council,  and Grenfell Tower residents, marked by “distrust, dislike, personal antagonism, and anger.” Ali Akbor OBE, a panel inquiry member and former CEO of Unity Homes, stated that residents deserve understanding and respect, which KCTMO failed to provide.

Akbar noted a similar failure to treat residents with respect and ”as people and individuals” in the aftermath of the fire, including in the way that those with religious, cultural or social needs suffered discrimination as a result of Kensington and Chelsea Council’s failure to prepare properly for emergencies.

The final report unveiled longstanding issues between the KCTMO and residents, issues that were initially identified in a 2009 report commissioned by RBKC and conducted by Maria Memoli, which investigated persistent complaints against the KCTMO.

The report however did not make recommendations to improve regulation of social housing providers, saying reforms in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act were sufficient to deliver change. The act introduces a new more proactive consumer regulation framework, strengthens the power of regulators and mandates qualifications for social housing managers.

Akbar added that another broader issue identified in the inquiry was that the government’s focus on deregulation “dominated the department’s thinking such that even matters affecting the safety of life were delayed, ignored or disregarded.”

However, the report, did not make recommendations to improve regulation of social housing providers, saying reforms in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act were sufficient to deliver change. The act introduces a new more proactive consumer regulation framework, strengthens the power of regulators and mandates qualifications for social housing managers.