Table of Contents

Gove tells Grenfell cladding manufacturer to pay remediation costs

Housing secretary Michael Gove has warned US-based cladding provider Arconic that it could actually anticipate “industrial penalties” if it doesn’t decide to contributing to the prices of remediating unsafe buildings.

The agency manufactured and bought the flammable cladding that was used on Grenfell Tower. However Gove has stated on Twitter that Arconic had “not taken any duty – ethical or monetary – for his or her position within the Grenfell tragedy and constructing security disaster”.

In a letter to its chief executive Timothy Myers, Gove wrote that the corporate had “failed to interact in a significant means in any a part of the industry-wide negotiations that occurred in 2022”.

He added that he was “appalled” by proof from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry concerning the extent that Arconic workers had gone to “to hide the flammable nature of your merchandise, and to keep away from selling fire-retardant merchandise to prospects – as a result of doing so would cut back your earnings”.

Gove invited Myers to satisfy officers “to clarify how you plan to scope, determine and pay for remediation works”.

He stated that “a complete package deal of economic help” was required from building product producers, warning that “firms that don’t share our dedication to righting wrongs of the previous should anticipate to face industrial penalties”.

Gove’s letter additionally says that Arconic’s annual reviews revealed that between 2017 and 2022 it had spent a mean of £8.9m a 12 months on “authorized recommendation and illustration on Grenfell-related issues”.

“In stark distinction,” the letter provides, “you haven’t contributed any funding – not a single greenback or cent – in direction of the price of fixing harmful buildings, even if your flammable merchandise proceed to place lives in danger in the UK at present”.

Gove has given the agency till 12 April to reply. On Twitter, he said that he would “use all instruments at my disposal to make [Arconic] pay”.

Arconic has confronted criticism for its method to taking part within the Grenfell Inquiry. Quite a lot of its executives refused to come to the UK to give evidence, claiming this might go away them open to prosecution underneath French regulation.

Gove’s transfer follows his menace to prevent housebuilders from building homes if they don’t pledge to pay remediation cash – in addition to a similar letter he sent last week to Kingspan, which made flamable insulation used on Grenfell Tower.

Within the letter, Gove credited Kingspan with taking a “constructive step” in acknowledging that it ought to pay the place its cladding had been used inappropriately. He added: “I sincerely hope it’s a first step solely” and invited the corporate to satisfy his officers for discussions on contributing to remediation prices.



Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest