Grenfell: New body to ban dangerous building materials after inquiry

A new regulator will be established with powers to ban the use of dangerous building materials, following evidence at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry that manufacturers covered up safety issues.

It will be able to prosecute companies that flout rules, the government said.

Ministers have called revelations at the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire "deeply disturbing".

They have also ordered a review of product testing because of "abuses" in the testing system.

The findings of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, which led to the deaths of 72 people in June 2017, are not expected for at least another year.

But Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said it was "already clear that action is required now".

In evidence given late last year, the behaviour of several companies was under close scrutiny - with damaging admissions about their activities in the years before the fire.

Kingspan, which makes insulation panels, revealed it sold a combustible product despite failed fire tests.

The Grenfell Inquiry heard that Celotex, another insulation maker, effectively "rigged" a test to keep its product on the market.

The BBC also revealed that cladding manufacturer Arconic failed to tell British standards bodies about poor results from tests it carried out on the aluminium panels used at Grenfell.

All three products have been found to have contributed to the fire.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the new regulator would be able to conduct its own tests.

It will operate within the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), which was set up by the government to help manage large-scale product recalls and identify risks to consumers.

The OPSS will be expanded and given £10m in funding to establish the new function.

The regulator will work with the newly created Building Safety Regulator and Trading Standards to "encourage and enforce compliance".

Mr Jenrick said:  "The Grenfell Inquiry has heard deeply disturbing allegations of malpractice by some construction product manufacturers and their employees, and of the weaknesses of the present product testing regime.

"We are establishing a national regulator to address these concerns and a review into testing to ensure our national approach is fit for purpose.

"We will continue to listen to the evidence emerging in the inquiry, and await the judge's ultimate recommendation - but it is already clear that action is required now and that is what we are doing."

The Grenfell Tower fire revealed deep-seated problems with the building regulations and product testing.

Ministers say they are pushing through a "fundamental overhaul of regulatory systems".

But thousands of people currently live in buildings constructed with materials which pose a risk. They have to pay for extra fire safety measures until cladding or insulation is stripped off.

Giles Grover, from the national campaigning coalition End Our Cladding Scandal said the announcement was not enough.

"It will help people in new homes but it doesn't help those of us with Kingspan K15 insulation wrapped around our flats. The only way that the government's going to make sure our buildings are safe is to put up the money now."

The government has made £1.6 billion available for the work, and there has been steady progress on public housing. But for private sector buildings it has barely begun. The overall cost of the crisis could to rise to £15 billion.

Kingspan and Celotex have both admitted failings in the testing of their products.

Celotex said it discovered discrepancies in the tests and some staff had been disciplined.

Kingspan said "these matters do not reflect the organisation that we are or aspire to be, and significant actions have been taken and are in progress, that further underpin our commitment to fire safety and to professional conduct."

Arconic previously told the BBC its products could be used safely provided those who "design the cladding system—such as architects, fabricators, contractors, or building owners... conduct their own full systems testing or analysis of the entire cladding system."