Council could face charges for Grenfell fire

Detectives investigating the Grenfell Tower fire have “reasonable grounds” to suspect that corporate manslaughter offences may have been committed, Scotland Yard has said.

In a letter to residents, the force said that senior figures from Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation faced being interviewed by police.

The letter said: “We have seized a huge amount of material and taken a large number of witness statements.

“After an initial assessment of that information, the officer leading the investigation has today notified Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that each organisation may have committed the offence of corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.”

At least 80 people died when the blaze ripped through the 24-storey block of flats in west London on 14 June.

It added: “A senior representative of each corporation will be formally interviewed by police in relation to the potential offence. This interview will not take place immediately, since it is important that all relevant facts and information have been gathered before any such interview is conducted.”