Grenfell Tower notes ‘binned’ by manager a year after fire

A PROJECT manager on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment has admitted “binning” all of her notes a year after the fire, an inquiry has heard.

Claire Williams, who worked for Grenfell landlord the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation ( TMO), said she got rid of her records when she cleared her desk and left her job almost 12 months after the tragedy that claimed 72 lives.

She was questioned after it emerged that Peter Maddison, her former colleague, disclosed notebooks containing “material of the utmost relevance” to the inquiry only at the end of last week.

Ms Williams told the inquiry yesterday: “I left the TMO in May 2018 and I binned all of them but the last one, and Kennedys [the TMO’S solicitors] have possession of the last one which covered probably 2017 and 2018.”

She said she may have thrown out “two or three notebooks” containing records dating back to 2013 when she joined the TMO, adding: “If the police didn’t take them, I binned them.”

Sir Martin Moore-bick, the chairman, asked: “You binned them even though you knew, by that time, there was already on foot a public inquiry?”

Ms Williams said: “I would have looked at them and thought ‘There’s nothing here that isn’t in formal evidence’.”

Richard Millett QC, the inquiry lawyer, asked Ms Williams: “Have you ever informed the Metropolitan Police you had destroyed documents which were relevant to their investigation?” Ms Williams said: “No, I didn’t. Because it’s not occurred to me.”

The inquiry heard that Mr Maddison must give a “clear and convincing” explanation why he failed to disclose “material of the utmost relevance” until last week.