Council 'prioritised cost over safety', Grenfell Tower inquiry hears

Landlords showed staggering lack of concern' by failing to order checks after being warned about dangerous cladding

The London fire brigade warned the Grenfell Tower landlords about dangerous cladding just two months before it went up in flames but it failed to order checks that counsel for the bereaved said displayed a staggering lack of concern" and scant regard for safety", the public inquiry into the disaster has heard.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) was told by fire chiefs in April 2017 that cladding panels often did not comply with building regulations and could potentially spread fire from flat to flat. But in what was described as an extraordinary" decision, it did not investigate how its officials ensured the safety of facades or require them to be included in future fire risk assessments.