Met Police refers Kensington & Chelsea Council to CPS for charging decisions over Grenfell Tower fire

The offences are:

• Corporate Manslaughter
• Section 3 of Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Contrary to the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005.

The CPS will now independently review the evidence, and will decide whether to charge the council with those offences.

The 20 files submitted by the Met Police to the CPS relate to 20 companies and organisations and 54 individuals.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also confirmed that a file relating to it has been referred to the CPS in relation to a potential breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

It is expected that the CPS’s decisions will be taken and communicated before the 10th anniversary of the fire, in June next year.

Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “This is a significant moment for all bereaved family members, survivors, residents and all those affected by Grenfell. Our thoughts remain first and foremost with them and the 72 people who lost their lives. We hope that the legal process gives people the answers they seek. 

“We have accepted the Council’s failings, and our commitment to candour, openness, and accountability has not changed. We will continue our focus on meeting the commitments we made following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. 

“The Council has cooperated fully with the Metropolitan Police investigation, just as we fully cooperated throughout the separate Grenfell Tower Inquiry which concluded in 2024, and we will continue to provide any information or assistance asked of us.”