Grenfell prosecutions: CPS to decide on charges within eight months

Prosecutors are to decide within eight months whether to bring charges over the Grenfell Tower fire, which claimed 72 lives in 2017. The Crown Prosecution Service has stated that a decision will be made before the 10th anniversary of the tragedy next June. The Metropolitan police have submitted files on 20 organisations and 54 individuals for consideration.

Both the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Kensington and Chelsea council have announced they are among the organisations being considered for charges. The council faces potential charges including corporate manslaughter, breaches of health and safety law, and fire regulation violations. The government has pledged full cooperation with any decision reached regarding potential breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Inquiry findings and potential trials

The decision to allow the public inquiry to conclude its investigation before the police finalised their own has drawn criticism from some survivors and bereaved families who wished for criminal justice to take precedence. However, the inquiry established findings of wrongdoing. These included judgments that Arconic, Kingspan, and Celotex, suppliers of materials used in the tower's refurbishment, behaved dishonestly. An architecture practice, Studio E, and contractors Rydon and Harley Facades were also found to bear responsibility for the fire.

The Metropolitan police have cautioned that criminal trials are unlikely to commence before 2028, indicating that the legal process will extend for several more years. Corporate manslaughter cases are known to be complex, requiring proof of gross negligence involving management.

Concerns over public contracts

Survivors have expressed objections to public contracts being awarded to Rydon and Saint-Gobain, the owner of Celotex, in light of the inquiry's findings. Questions remain about why the Procurement Act 2023 cannot be used to prevent such companies from securing public work based on their past conduct.