Grenfell Tower cladding was changed to save cash, reports claim

The cladding fitted to Grenfell Tower during its refurbishment was changed to a cheaper version to save cash, it has been claimed.

The BBC said it had obtained documents showing that the zinc cladding that was originally planned as part of the multi-million pound refurbishment was replaced with a less resistant aluminium cladding, saving nearly £300,000.

The BBC reported that the documents show a list of potential savings of £693,161 sent to contractors in July 2014 to take the total of cost of the revamp from around £9.2m to £8.6m.

It published an extract showing a saving of £293,368 that would be saved by fitting “aluminium cladding in lieu of zinc cladding”.

The change was reportedly to allow for a change of colour, the BBC claimed it had been told that another major reason was cost.

The Times has also claimed to have seen official documents which stated aluminium panels were preferred to the non-combustible zinc alternative, and said emails suggested cladding at the 24-storey building was downgraded to save money.

Paperwork showed the consultants for the refurbishment of the tower block were placed under pressure to keep costs low, the paper said.

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The cladding on Grenfell Tower, which investigators into the disaster said had failed safety tests, has been blamed as a contributor in the spread of the blaze that left at least 80 people dead.

Every cladding panel tested in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy has failed, but Lord Porter of Spalding, the chairman of the Local Government Association, said the Government needed to canvas the opinion of a greater number of experts amid allegations its safety testing is flawed.

Lord Porter told the BBC: “The Government needs to listen to a wider set of opinions and not just the experts they have got.

“The experts, they may well be right, but we can’t have confidence in that because every single one has failed across the whole country.

“The tests are not testing the fire safety of the panels, they are testing what the core of the panel is made from. That’s not what the test needs to be.”

Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council has promised to co-operate fully with all investigations into the fire.

But the council adjourned its first cabinet meeting since the disaster after just 20 minutes on Thursday after it was forced to admit the press and public.

The council went on to cancel the meeting, claiming it would prejudice the forthcoming public inquiry.

Before the meeting was stopped, under-fire council leader Nicholas Paget-Brown – who has dismissed pressure to stand down – apologised for the authority’s response to the tragedy.