LABC responds to Grenfell Inquiry’s criticism

The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) has responded to the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report published yesterday (4 September).

The Inquiry concluded that “the dishonest strategies of [insulation manufacturers] Arconic and Kingspan” were successful “in a large measure” because of the incompetence and lack of independence of the bodies responsible for product certification, including LABC, the British Board of Agrément and the UK Accreditation Service.

The report said: “The LABC must take its share of the blame for the acceptance by the market of Celotex RS5000 and Kingspan K15 for use on buildings over 18 metres in height. There was a complete failure on the part of the LABC over a number of years to take basic steps to ensure that the certificates it issued in respect of them were technically accurate.

“The LABC was vulnerable to manipulation because its processes were not implemented rigorously enough. The task of producing an initial assessment should not have been given to Building Control officers, who did not have the degree of knowledge and experience necessary to make an informed assessment of the product in question, and those who carried out the second stage review were not always competent to do so and in some cases did not take the necessary degree of care.”

Below is LABC’s full response to the report’s findings:

“Our first thoughts and deepest sympathies remain with the bereaved families and survivors who must be finding this a particularly difficult and distressing time.

“We are pleased to see such a comprehensive review of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. The Inquiry’s final report and recommendations will shape the industry for decades to come.

“The Inquiry has had significant statutory powers which have enabled it to see things others could not see. Following our own internal investigations into historic activities within LABC, we note that the conclusions reached by the Inquiry entirely coincide with our own.

“LABC cooperated fully with the Inquiry throughout, providing detailed evidence and testimony. We can see there are justified criticisms about some of our actions at the time. LABC admitted errors at the very first opportunity and apologised immediately and repeatedly. Again, we wholeheartedly acknowledge and apologise for any areas where LABC has failed in the past.

“LABC today is not the same organisation as it was. Even before the Inquiry started, we embarked on a period of radical change as an organisation. We take the Inquiry’s conclusions extremely seriously and will continue the process of reform within LABC itself, and the promotion of new standards, the building safety regime and the registration of the Building Control profession.

“We are completely committed to playing our part in educating, building and validating the competence and standards of the building control sector so that we can help deliver safe and decent homes and buildings for all.”