Council launches claims against Grenfell contractors as part of bid to recover reported £360m in damages

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has launched legal proceedings against a set of companies involved in the refurbishment of the Grenfell Tower.

A council spokesperson said: "We have issued legal proceedings against a number of companies, in line with the council’s ongoing commitment to ensure those parties pay a share of the costs incurred against the public purse."

The Royal Borough has been seeking to recover costs since October last year following the publication of the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report.

According to a statement issued at the time, the council said it had been subject to a 'legal standstill process' for a number of years, which kept it from pursuing the costs.

However, the standstill agreement ended following the final inquiry report.

The October statement said: "As is well documented, the council spent significant amounts of public money on the response to the Grenfell tragedy, to try and support the bereaved, survivors and immediate community.

"This includes the costs of rehousing, financial assistance, and the subsequent payment of compensation.

"It is not known if recovering these costs will be fully successful, but any money received back will go towards these costs."

According to Construction News, the council is also asking the court to issue building liability orders, which would allow the authority to obtain damages from parent companies.

Adam Carey